Glitter in the Air
by Bishieluver01
Summary: "I heard that people can have second chances... To right what was wrong." No one ever said coming back from the dead would be a picnic, but no one ever said it couldn't be fun. Wally/Bubbles Starts at the Character Quest Intro, updates every other week.
1. Chapter 1: Glitter in the Air

_Just another idea that came late at night, which evolved into a fanfiction. In fact, likely to be my last large Legendia fiction... For the moment, however, this is my little brain-child which has taken over my mind. Everything is self-edited, but I could always miss something, so please comment if you see a typo. Title's taken from the same song by Pink I was listening to while writing this. Little game for you all: find the Spaceballs quote._

_Fun Fact: Was tempted to write my mom's name Nora a few times while writing this._

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Chapter 1 - Glitter in the Air

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_Darkness…_

…_Where am I?_

Icy blue eyes slowly opened to a sea of dark all around him. Not inky black darkness one couldn't pierce with a knife, nor the dark that lingered late at night just before dawn. But the sort in which nothing remained, and that everything returned to once it's usefulness had expired.

Pale fingertips cut into black from beneath tattered white sleeves, shaded by dried blood and remnants of once-minor scrapes. Long boots stretched out in front of him covered in both mud and scuffs, ending high upon his legs and covered by a white tunic. A shredded azure cloak drifted around his shoulders, and as the man wiggled his fingers, silver-blond hair drifted in front of his eyes.

Eyes searched the darkness, searching for any sort of familiarity, but his efforts proved effortless. The man straightened upright, but it seemed like he was underwater; movements slow and sluggish. He looked at his fingertips, and almost saw dark tendrils lingering around his arms whenever he moved them similar to water. He moved his foot to walk, but it was also similar to moving in water, and the motion began to tire him as he ran through the abyss.

Hours, days could have passed and the silvery blond would not have known the difference, his only concern was finding out where he was. His eyes adjusted to the dark, making his light clothing and skin even more pale. Legs suddenly tired from the exercise, he stopped moving and let himself drift in midair. Why did he run; he was one of the Ferines; the people of the water, the Shining Ones… He had his teriques that could help him, his uniquely different teriques. His black wings of light. Concentrating, he thought of his feathery light spreading around his form, wrapping him in a familiar embrace.

After a few moments more, he gave up. It had never taken this long to summon his teriques… In fact, he had not failed in summoning it since he was a child; even at the blink of death he still could-

Memories came flashing back like a flood, a group of people facing him, ready to take away all his people had worked for, had hoped for. A Holy Alliance Marine… A knight of Gadoria… The teacher, treasure hunter, ninja, bandit and amnesic women. They all faced off against him, in halls of coral and water. Pain. A flashing of blue light and silver columns. Machines all around him, a large glowing orb. A sickening lurch in his side as he faced them again, feet losing feeling. A giant automaton shattering into pieces before them, black wings sprouting from his back, then the feathers disintegrating as soon as they had appeared. Falling… he was falling, darkness closing around his eyesight. A last question to his rival, who looked on with pitying eyes. Closing vision. Loss of feeling. Nothing.

He understood why his black wings wouldn't come, it was so idiotically obvious, and he hadn't seen it. _"Of course I couldn't… I died."_ A scratchy voice answered, echoing in the abyss. Even to him, it was devoid of any emotion.

The realization make him choke, holding his hand to his mouth in horror, as he discovered his purpose in that fight. His one task in life- his destiny- was to protect the leader of the Ferines, the Merines. He had lost the fight. The group had gone ahead to rescue their friend and stop the Cataclysm. They prevented her from fulfilling her duty, _he_ had prevented her from fulfilling her duty. To save the Ferines… He had _failed_.

It was his fault the Orerines hadn't been exterminated, his fault the Merines failed, all his fault.

The Ferines choked as water trickled from his eyes, spilling over onto his cheeks and floating away into the dark around his face. The only sound he heard was the wrenching sound of his own voice, breaking in guilt, which seemed to echo into the dark, not to return anytime soon. Hiding his eyes in his weathered palms, he let out small noises from the grief he had. Anger he once had didn't exist anymore, he was just so filled of guilt it didn't exist anymore.

He stayed like that a while, and soon a lithe figure stepped into the dark, tendrils of darkness wrapping around her bare ankles, bracelets jingling around her wrists and neck. A flowing green dress with flowers on it trailed after her as she wore a forever-small smile upon her face. A billowing headdress floated behind her gracefully and floated around her in the dark. The tall women looked down at the crying man before her and gently placed her free hand upon his shoulder.

He jerked out of his tears and looked up at her, both in shock at his appearance and hers in this dark world. The lady looked on at him with a peculiar look upon her face. _"Dear sir, why are you so upset?" _She asked innocently.

The Ferines looked into the darkness with distant eyes. _"I failed… My life's duty was to protect someone, and I failed in that." _He responded dully.

She held a hand to her mouth and gave him a saddened glance, _"My, that's distressing… However, I believe she and her friends are alright, somehow. You would be surprised how some turn out alright from a good picnic."_ She smiled brightly at him, and earned a strange stare in return. _"…Though, it's a shame you can't join them in the fun… Everyone deserves a second chance, in the least." _A knowing smile lit up her face.

The Ferines looked away from her expression with the knowledge of his guilt, but slowly nodded.

The willowy women smiled, and from the elaborate pot she held upon her shoulder, reached inside and grabbed a handful of silvery dust, it's glitter falling through the air, a shimmering in the dark. The bangles on her wrists lightly clanked against each other, their chimes echoing. _"I heard that people can have second chances, to right what was wrong... Perhaps that is what could fix your situation..."_ She then tossed it onto the startled man, shimmering dust settling in his hair and on his clothes. _"I wish you luck, dear Wally. I hope you choose wisely, and have fun!"_

Eyes squinting, black blurred from his sight into swirls as the familiar women laughed. Bells tinkled in his ears, the abyss bled into white, and his vision cleared…

And his eyes opened once more.

* * *

They immediately squeezed shut at the immense light, and Walter lay still as the light lit the insides of his eyelids, turning black into a bright red. He squinted up at the sky above him, and saw a brilliant blue above him, white fluffy clouds stretching across until the horizon met a calmer azure sea in front of him. _A calm sea? _Fine grains filtered through his fingers at he sat up, the warn sand falling off of his clothes as he did so. The sea was as clear and calm as it had been in the Quiet Lands, the ones the Ferines regarded as the Forsaken lands…

The Ferines's stunned face slowly loosened, a true smile beginning to light his face. This was the sea that the Ferines had tried to restore; Nerifes was happy, and it showed in the sea's calmness. The Merines had not failed after all! He stood up all of the way, but stumbled suddenly. Looking down at his attire, it occurred to him he was wearing his old Orerines clothing from his days as a spy, but the turban that wrapped his hair was nowhere to be found, letting the breeze play with the strands around his face. _Odd… Why wouldn't he have his Ferines attire?_

He didn't care... But a thought came to him, a concentration lit his mind again, and he felt a comforting feel of light feathers against his back. Looking around him, he saw violet-black wings surrounding him, a shimmering light from between his shoulder blades. His wings fluttered, and his feet were hovering a foot or so above the ground. The joy that he felt was immense. The sea was calm, the Merines had succeeded and _he was alive again._

It was momentarily stopped, however, by a great rumbling all around him, shaking the ground he hovered over. It stopped after a bit, and he cautiously touched back down, teriques disappearing soon afterward. An earthquake? They weren't possible on the Legacy, there were no fault plates beneath the nation-sized ship.

Soon after, though, he saw a shape approaching the beach. A small crab who's color was pure black, and seemed to… exhale smoke around it's entire body? It didn't make sense… He stepped forward to move closer to it, but saw another figure that made him freeze in place. Coolidge… The Alliance marine, and the others in his group… And the Merines running beside him. He thankfully saw that their attention was on the monster in front of them, and not on the figure to the side of them down the beach not even a few road-lengths away. He saw a very conveniently-placed boulder near him, and shamelessly hid behind it, black cloak pulled behind him out of sight.

One of the figures looked his way with a confused expression on her face, stick-like weapon halfway from forming an attack on the creature, but soon turned back to the battle in front of them. The Ferines sighed in relief, then turned around slightly to watch the battle. The crab-like fiend seemed to mutate under the black smoke and transform into a monster worthy of the word. From the achingly-long battle that ensued between the fiend and the Merines' group, whatever that smoke had done to it had increased it's strength nearly ten-fold. The monster fell, and it vanished along with the smoke, leaving the lone egg-bear that remained, nearly torn to pieces from the battle.

The teacher and others exchanged words, and headed back towards the Orerines town, Werites Beacon. One figure slowed to a stop, and looked back to where he hid. And for a strange reason, he hoped to be found by someone, anyone who knew who he was. However, logic and common sense held precedence, and he stayed still and silent. Soon, she gave up on her supposed thought, called it a mirage and hurried back up the hill with the others.

The blond let out a breath, and cautiously walked back up toward Lumen Spring to try and figure out a next plan of action. In what period of time, or even, what dimension was he in? _Oh, what a sick joke that would be… Lone previously-dead Ferines ex-bodyguard-of-the-Merines Walter is stuck in a different dimension where he can't right what mistakes he's made because he hasn't made them here!_

…A curious thought, however, what did he do wrong last time…? If the calm sea, and the Merines' appearance with the group who tags along with her so-called brother wasn't of any occurrence, he would never have said that preventing her friends approaching her and preventing her from creating the next Cataclysm was his biggest mistake. But unfortunately, that happened. It was his mistake… But it most likely wasn't the case of why he was brought back… He was getting another shot, and he had to use his second chance to make things ok again.

He came into view of the familiar spring, surrounded by a ring of the same coral-red ground that shaped the Mirage Palace and most of the Legacy's landmarks. Clear water trickled from the bottom of the pool, and flowed down a stream to fill the rest of Werites Beacon's waterways.

Walter stood at the edge for a moment, then looked around for any other presence around the area. Nothing but the pleasant chirps of birds and bubbling of the pool. Smiling to himself, he slipped off his boots and cloak from around his shoulders, and dove into the water without much of a splash. Nearly instantly, his hair began to glow a crystal blue that all Ferines had in the water. He smiled in peace and lounged underwater near the statue in the center of the spring, lost in thought.

* * *

A few hours later, in the early evening where the sun began to dip closer to the horizon, a chipper girl sat on a bench at the fountain in the early evening, mulling from the battle in her head over and over again. Both before and after the battle, the short brunette girl saw something on the beach… A figure… or something. One with a long black coat… or cloak, or something. For some reason, it was keeping her from focusing on anything else, even her Relares notebook and the Everlight. It was dang irritating.

She looked over the town's building up the hill where Lumen Spring and the beach was. She shouldn't be out alone, but… "I gotta find out what the heck that was." She got up from where she was and smiled to herself. "If I find something, all the better, right?" She then walked off to go up the hill to the spring.

Soon after, not encountering too many monsters and some amounts of sneaking around, she reached the pool of crystal clear water, lit by a few sparse city lights along the path and one on the far edge of the water. She looked around and tried to see into the darkness, but couldn't see any signs of life. Norma frowned and crossed her arms in thought. Shaking her head, she frowned. "Ah, I should have known there was nothing here. Just hallucinating again, Norma!"

Norma looked around and turned to leave, but something caught her eye. She walked up to the object in question next to the pool and picked it up, "…A shoe?" A heavy white and orange shoe sat in her hands, and she looked down to see it's other half, along with a black cloak and a few large belts. Her confusion was even more apparent when she looked around, finding no explanation for the clothing. "Hello? Anyone out here? You forgot your clothes!" She waved the shoe for good measure.

Hearing no answer, she gathered the things in her hands and walked around the area searching for the owner. The pair of shoes were clutched by one of her hands, with the cloak and belts hanging over her arms as she looked. She took a closer look at some of the things… The cloak seemed familiar, like a pattern that wasn't found often around the Legacy. …It smelled like the ocean too, a slight brine scent mixed in with the fine sand still on the cloak.

Stopping, Norma realized the cloak was similar to what she saw on the beach earlier that day. She took a closer look around and called out, "I know you're out there; you were on the beach today when we were fighting that monster. Come out and show yourself!" Silence. "Ohhh, so you're afraid of me, huh? Go on, show me what you've got; fight like a man!" She brought out her straw with one hand, other arm weighed down with the articles of clothing. Yellow eres glowed from her fingertips, lighting the area in a pale light not already given from the lanterns.

Nothing happened for a few minutes. The crystal eren kept her stick out, but set down the clothing and let the light of her eres die down. She cautiously approached the pool and walked around it, peering around and in the water. "I wonder who that was…" She mumbled to herself, suddenly feeling a shiver go through her arms in nervousness.

She noticed a slight difference in the normal riverbed, and peered closer, seeing different obscured colors in the water, but couldn't see it well enough. Sighing to herself, she sat down on the edge of the spring and pulled off her long boots, freeing dainty toes. The girl then set aside her Relares notebook and bag full of miscellaneous items and gald. She noticed how deep part of the pool was, and chose to try to go around in a shallower area.

Norma dipped a foot into the water and squeaked at the frigidness of the water. Well with twilight upon her, it was no wonder it was so cold. She stood ankle-deep and waded slowly through the water. She peered at the object in the water, which became more clear with every step forward. Soon, with her knees just barely above water, she leaned forward to see the shape more clearly. A black body… Red legs, no, red pants… White… blond hair. It glowed a faint blue, lighting the water around him slightly-

She nearly screamed when she leapt back, splashing her back and nearly falling in more. Wally! Wally was here, Wally was _alive_! She stared, trying not to squeak too loudly in fright. They had battled him trying to save Shirley; he died back in the Wings of Light two months ago, how was he here in Lumen Spring very much alive and kicking?

Norma swallowed, wondering what to do. …At least, he looked alive, though all people except for the Ferines weren't able to breathe underwater. The ripples on the surface obscured his face clearly, so she stepped forward again, letting them die down as he came into view again. He seemed to be sleeping, eyes closed and hair drifting in and out of his face. Norma realized she had never seen both his eyes before; his hair had always fallen in front of the left side of his face.

Leaning forward more, she peered closer to his features. Once upon a time ago, when Shirl had been kidnapped by Vaclav, the Ferines had joined forces with the Alliance forces in Werites Beacon to rescue her and prevent a war. When he had first shed his disguise for his traditional white and blue clothing, she thought him someone different… And cute. Well, he was; it wasn't her fault that he was a jerkass!

She leaned forward even more, standing on the balls of her feet to dry off part of her knees. Still… they had to save Shirl, the world. They had no choice but to fight him… Right? Still, he didn't really deserve to die, he was only doing his job. Hopefully he wasn't as mean as last time, or worse, try to reinstate the problem all over again-

She leaned too far forward, her center of balance no longer in her waist and feet, but her shoulders. She fell face-first and screaming into the spring with a loud splash, scaring a nearby bird out of it's nest. Freezing water shocked her system, and she flailed in the water, kicking a stirring Walter in the chest, startling him awake. She pushed upwards and took gasping breaths, coughing and sputtering from the intense pain of water going into her nose. She tried to find her footing, and not long after that, she was pulled under for a moment. A figure pulled her back out, and pulled her by her collar towards the shallows. Norma struggled against the hand, and finally she was let go and sat in the shallow water against the bank, looking up at the Ferines in front of her.

Walter crossed his arms, hair dripping from the tips of his bangs. "So, we meet again, Orerines."

Norma stood up and gave him a stern look, "Nice to see you too, Wally." She said sarcastically. Guess it wasn't too hard to think he hadn't changed one bit. Still the uptight blond as usual.

He looked around at his surroundings, "I see you convinced the Merines not to go through with the Cataclysm, and yet the sea is calm. An explanation is in order."

Norma glared at him, hackles rising at the accusations. "Same as always…" She muttered quietly to herself. "Why should I have to explain myself to you? Nellie wanted peace between the Ferines and Orerines, and it stopped the fighting; the extinction of us humans didn't have to happen!"

"Yet do you really think that the fighting will stop on the mainland, or on the Legacy? Ferines are still getting slaughtered by your race every day, you're making excuses for yourself." He shared the same anger in his eyes as she did hers.

"Not everyone is like them though! An entire race can't be held responsible for a few people. If you were around when we convinced Nellie that then maybe you would pull that stick out of your butt and not be such a heartless jerk all the time!" She yelled, then bit her lip at that last bit. Perhaps it wasn't so wise to mention how Wally…

Walter was silent, eyes full of ice as he stared her down. She stumbled over her words, inching away at his gaze. "A… Another thing. When me and the gang saved Shirl at the Wings of Light… We defeated you and…" She swallowed hard and pushed out the next words. "…You died. How exactly are you here; are you a ghost or something that's come back to haunt me?" She brought out her stick and held it in front of her protectively.

Walter was tempted to let out a bitter bark of laughter, just as much as he was to just kill this girl in front of him for her insults. Instead, he fumed and let it show in his eyes and the way his hands clenched his sleeves. "Do you always come up with such absurd motions of thought?" He asked tightly.

Geez, Norma was starting to feel hairs raise on the back of her neck. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea coming out here and discovering who had been spying on them. Then again, she hadn't expected it would be the hateful Ferines who was supposed to be pushing up daisies either. Beginning to back up onto dry land, she retorted, "So what if I do! At least I don't try to kill people just because I don't like the way they were born or what their father's brother's nephew's cousin's former room-mate did!"

Norma almost cheered as his hateful expression slowly transformed into a confused one as he tried to comprehend the question. "…What?" He quietly asked blinking under furrowed brows.

Smiling slyly to herself, she continued with her train of thought. "At least my so-called _absurd trains of thought _aren't trying to kill people with whom I've just met."

"I'll remind you that we have met before; numerous times at that." He gave her a steady look and continued, "Speaking of which, did you get shorter?"

Norma fumed, "I did not! You just shrank over the past two months!" This reminded her of her previous question. "…Did you even die at all, or did you just escape and go into hiding or something?"

Walter exhaled through his nose and looked to the side, "Hmph, like you are on any need to know things like that." _'Although…'_ If he was on his second chance through life, he really did not want to screw it up… So, maybe a different approach this time. As much as he disliked it, he knew that at the very least he could not attack Senel and his friends again, nor trying to turn others against him. Starting with Beatty wouldn't be so terrible; she was far from the worst of them.

Walter peeked from the corner of his vision at her; she was still pouting angrily. His pride shrinking and biting his lip, he sighed. "…If you really have to know to continue living, Beatty…" This got her attention pretty quickly, and she turned to him. "…I did die that day in the Wings of Light."

A silence passed between them, and Norma shifted nervously. Wally actually told her something like that; since when would that have ever happened back when this whole thing started? He hated her and everyone in her race! …But, he also died, something like that would change someone. She looked up at his distant eyes and took in a deep breath. "Did it… I mean, was it painful to die?" She winced immediately afterwards, though it would have sounded bad any other way anyway.

Walter swallowed, taking his time to answer in anything but a cruel or biting retort. Beatty's tone was nervous and regretful, but curious; who wasn't when it came to what happened in the afterlife? Might as well be honest. "Even though I ended up dying from the wounds I acquired from our fight in the Mirage Palace… no. Everything just drifted away, like I fell asleep…" He saw her expression and rolled his eyes, "And no, there was no tunnel or flashing of images or memories. Everything just turned black. Satisfied?"

Norma looked down for a moment, then asked, "Just one thing… If you did die, then how did you come back? No one just comes back from the dead, no magic can do that, save for reanimating dead bodies. Memories and souls never come back."

His thoughts drifted back to that dark place, and the conversation he had with that strange woman. It was a bit risky to tell her too much, even repeating that he was dead was a bit much. Though, she obviously didn't think he was crazy, her eyes told him she believed his story. If this turned all right, then he might tell her later… Might. "…I can't tell you everything, but just that my life wasn't to end when it did." Hopefully, he wouldn't screw it up this time…

Norma nodded, still confused why he would reveal these thing to an _Orerines_ like her. But, she wasn't complaining either… The brunette looked around them, and noticed a mist begin to fall on them. Which reminded her how soaked the two of them were. It would be a long and cold trip back, she was shivering already. Might as well… "Hey Wally?"

He instantly scowled at that, "Do not refer to me as that."

Norma just ignored it and continued, "…Do you have a place to stay for the night?"

He caught on quickly, looking over at her with his scowl lightening to a simple frown, "Are you planning to invite me into your home; someone who once thought the end of your existence would be for the better of the world?" Bad wording though, he really didn't have a place to stay for the night, and sleeping on the ground soaking wet was not a comforting thought in the least.

Norma shrugged, "Well, unless you try to persuade me otherwise, yes. You don't have anywhere to sleep other than the ground, do you?" Silence gave her his answer, "Thought so. If anything, you can go wherever you were planning to go tomorrow and just sleep for the night. I'm not that bad, really!" She said with a chipper smile on her face.

Walter quirked an eyebrow at her from under his hair, "If you're comfortable sleeping with someone like me, so be it…" He said with an odd expression, not mulling about the opposite meaning of the word. Norma's ears caught the potential joke, but bit her lip and kept her silent snicker to herself. The two collected their belongings from the bank and began walking down the path to the town.

While they were walking, Norma noticed the previous tenseness in his shoulders from months ago was mostly gone. His steps were lighter, though still quieter than hers, which bounded down the path in a run when they reached a steep portion. He always gave her an odd look when she did that, but other than that, no real reaction to any of the things she did. Finally, when they entered town, she asked, "Are you always this quiet, or is it everywhere but your village?"

Walter replied, "Yes."

"Why?" She answered back.

"There isn't any 'why' about it, I just am."

"That's a little boring… How can people get to know you if you don't talk a lot?" A pout.

"My job didn't really require a lot of people knowing who I was. If I was discovered to be a Ferines I would have been tortured like all the others by Vaclav." He retorted harshly.

"That's stupid, it's still no excuse to-" She looked beside her and noticed no one was there. "Wally?"

"Hey Bubbles!" She heard from another road. It had turned out she and Walter had walked down the wrong road, and came to Will's house instead, where Moses had seen her and came over to chat.

"Hey, Red." She waved back, hoping he hadn't seen Wally.

He looked around and behind her, necklaces clinking together from his movements. "Hey, who was that red 'n black guy you were with, and why're ya soaking wet?

Norma shrugged off his first question, "I went on a walk up to Lumen Spring, and accidentally fell in. I came back to go take a shower and go to sleep."

Moses nodded, not fully believing it but accepted the answer anyway, "Ok, you do that. An' tell me 'bout who that guy was sometime." He waved and walked back to the park where the bandit caravan was staying.

Norma exhaled slowly, and looked around for Walter's hiding form, or maybe a glimpse of where he is. He so did not just ran off on her, the jerk…

"Nerifes, I hate him…" A voice said above her. She looked up and saw Walter perched in a tree, looking down at the two with part of his cloak hanging over the branch. He leapt down and landed easily, with a frown on his face.

Norma looked over in the direction Moses had just left in, "Red isn't that bad, Wally."

Walter snorted and walked away in the direction of the inn, forcing her to follow, "To you, he doesn't… He's an obnoxious, rude and smelly bandit with an equally smelly dog."

"Hey, Geit isn't smelly!"

By the time the two had reached the inn, they were bickering loudly and oblivious to their surroundings. A nearby man walking home from work gave them a dirty look, "Teenagers…"

The two opened the door, and walked inside, still arguing. "I don't care how funny he is, it certainly didn't feel funny to me when he was throwing his javelins at me!" Walter bit out.

"Well it's not like you didn't give him a good reason to attack you, you gave all of us one when you took Shirley that first time!" Norma retorted back heatedly.

"And you knew the reasons behind-"

They were cut off by the innkeeper at the front desk clad in his pajamas, who proceeded to yell at them, "Will you two shut up! It is after midnight, and I have tenets who don't need to be woken up by your racket!" He turned to Norma with fire in his eyes, "You especially, Miss Beatty! I don't care what problems you have with your boyfriend-"

"I'm not his-" "She's not my-" The two tried to interrupt, but were spoken over easily by the angered man.

"-but if my customers end up complaining about you, I'll kick you out of the room upstairs and make you pay back the large sum of gald you still owe me!" He paused for a moment to catch his breath and let his words sink in. "Did that sink in for you? Good, now be quiet and don't wake everyone on your way up!" he walked back into the employer's quarters fuming.

The two certainly quieted down, walking up the stairs to the rooms quietly. Walter waited as Norma fished out her room key and unlocked the door for them. The Ferines couldn't help but jab her with the last word, "A large bill, hmm? Are you being lazy, or just don't have a job?"

Norma growled angrily at him, fuming and embarrassed to have been yelled at by the innkeeper, on top of it being said that she still didn't have that much for her room and the tab was steadily growing larger. "Yeah yeah, laugh while you're at it, I already know I'm poor…" She said bitterly as she walked into the bathroom first so she got a shower first. Ha ha…

Walter brought his tone down at her obvious bitterness over the issue, but wasn't going to stop giving her a hard time. Oh no, he was still Walter, and that meant enraging Senel and his friends, including her. Protecting the Merines was… still a priority, but he was still guilt-ridden about that. He looked around at the furnishings while he spoke to her through the door. "If you don't have any money, why not just get a job somewhere…"

He picked up an odd decoration from a table shaped like a grand gaet when she replied, voice muffled through the wood. "I did once… I ended up spilling a bowl of hot soup on someone at the lounge below the inn. I got fired."

Walter tried not to inwardly snicker at the visual image. "Get another one."

"You know, it isn't as easy to just snap your fingers and have a job as you may think, Wally-"

"Don't call me that."

"Besides, I'm busy a lot too, trying to find the Everlight and helping out Teach and Senny…" She trailed off.

Walter noted the pause, and heard the water start up, ending the conversation. Besides, having people talking to you when you were busy bathing yourself wasn't necessarily the most fun thing in the world… Maybe uncomfortable and disturbing, but not fun. So, he settled down at the window seat to read something, and later on ended up falling asleep there.

Norma came out of the shower in her pajamas, happy to be warmer than before as a billow of steam followed her. "Ok Wally, you're…" She looked over and saw him snoozing on the seat at the window, back leaning against the wall and book ready to fall through his loose fingers. She took the book from them and looked at the cover. Immortal Blood… Well typical of him to choose something morbid.

She looked up at his face one last time to see if he would jump awake from her removing the book. His head was leaning slightly to the side, and his still-damp bangs shifted to the side enough to let her peek at his other eye under them. He looked different without the bangs in the way. She reached up to pull them away further, but stopped midway. What if he woke and caught her in the act?

Norma shook her head and reached over to gently shake him awake, murmuring to herself as she did. "Ok Norma, stay away from the cheesy novels tomorrow…"

She clasped onto his shoulder, but when she did he flinched awake, tense as if he had just battled an egg bear or something. He blinked a few times before seemingly remembering where he was. "…."

"You're going to get a kink in your neck sleeping like that, Wally. There's a bed over there, you know." She grinned.

His eyelids drooped slightly, but otherwise his only reply was a nod as he quietly got up and walked over to the bed. Norma then walked over to her own bed, climbing into it as he removed his various belts, shoes and cloak. "'Night Wally…" She said as she closed her eyes and snuggled into her pillow.

Not so much as an answer than complete silence. She frowned and looked over thinking he was just being a jerk again, but he looked to be out cold, breathing slow and evenly. She shrugged to herself and let her thoughts fade as she fell into dreamland.

* * *

_The __Immortal Blood __book that Wally was reading was a book one could find in The Elder Scrolls 4. It was a rare vampire horror story, and not of the sparkly ones either…_


	2. Chapter 2: Hide and Seek

_The second chapter is often one of the hardest to write because of continuance… But here it is. Updates will be once every 2 weeks on Tuesday. Earlier or latter depending on what my schedule is.  
_

_Title from "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. I guess the titles are going to be based off of song titles that I was listening to as I wrote these. Hopefully they'll match up in more than melody... Also, piano version of 1000 Words from FFX-2 was also a theme in this.  
_

_I read on the Tales wiki Aselia that Walter was 17, but I'm disregarding that fact and placing him around 18-19 instead. He seems more mature then that, so I'm sticking with my legal, spicy food-loving Wally!_

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Chapter 2 - Hide and Seek

* * *

Sunbeams shone through the window as birds chirped their songs outside. The sky was clear, and so were the curtains, which let sunlight show directly onto a sleeping man's face. Clenching his eyes, he murmured something drowsily and pulled a blanket over his head to hide the protruding light from his face. A few minutes of rolling over, he growled and sat up, blinking an few times and hiding tired eyes from the window.

Walter slid fingers through his mussed hair and rubbed sleep out from the corners of his eyes. However true the statement that Ferines followed the sun, he still hated mornings. Because of the times he spent as a spy on the Legacy, he was still used to their late schedules, even now. Though something also told him his exhaustion was also attributed to his rising from the grave yesterday afternoon.

Looking around, memories of past events reached his mind from the familiar surroundings. Gaze drifting over to the immobile form in the other bed, he shifted through some of his options in his mind. Second chances… he had to change something. Obviously, Senel had done a well-enough job convincing the Merines to not go through with the Cataclysm that Nerifes was calm. So that's out of the way… Speaking of which, where was everyone at this point? Was the Merines still in the Village of the Ferines, or here in Werites Beacon? And for that matter, was the Village still safe?

What-ifs ran through his mind, and his mind was decided… Though because it was risky showing himself yet, he considered gathering information another recon mission. Hell, he already had his old clothing already, why not? So, in a short amount of time after that was determined, he showered and was ready to leave once more, but something made him want to leave a message to Beatty of where he was… Weighing different options in his head, he simply just wrote a note and left it on the window seat.

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave as he was neared the door, making his knees buckle under his feet and holding a hand to his head as his vision blurred. Flashes of memories from the past flickered through his head: Running through the streets of a town at dark, his feet pounding against pavement, gasps for air filling the air. Turning a corner, he dashed behind a crate as three large men ran past, not giving the alleyway a second glance.

Flash. He was back in the present, and the tiredness was beginning to fall away like shackles. His eyes slowly cleared, and he stood up and allowed his mind to take control again. Walter's eyes narrowed at the sudden wave of exhaustion that had hit him from our of nowhere… He filed it away for later thought; there were more important things to think about at this moment than sudden dizzy spells and long-forgotten memories. He was probably still tired anyway.

He quietly closed the door behind him, suddenly realizing he had arrived with nothing but the clothes on his back. Ergo, he had no money on his person. An aggravated sigh left his mouth, and with another shred of self-dignity gone, he walked in the direction of the city's fountain plaza with an empty stomach and questions on his mind.

x x x

Norma lazily opened her eyes and yawned loudly from her place in her bed… She could have sworn she had heard a thump from downstairs… She shrugged and got out of bed, stomach rumbling as she got dressed in her normal peppy dress. Brushing her hair, she noticed a small piece of paper sitting innocently on a window seat, the white note a sharp contrast from the forest green cushions under it. Curious, she picked it up and began to read it silently:

**Beatty,**

**Went out. May be back sometime.**

Norma quirked a brow at Walter's very short note and plain handwriting. "…Well that was short and to the point…" She remarked aloud. But, he was deciding to stick around, so she wasn't complaining. Shrugging, she folded the small piece of paper and stuck it in her pocket, grabbing her traveling bag with her gels and notebook inside. Walking out onto the streets, she mildly wondered where Wally was as she wandered over to the bakery to see what kind of sweets she could buy for lunch (she guessed the time to be around 10:00) All the breakfast pastries would be gone by now, so why not aim for lunch? So, she trotted over and ordered a turkey Panini, happily munching on it as she wandered around town.

x x x

Walter was leaning against a tree in the shade near the fountain plaza, listening for any interesting tidbits of information to leak in through the citizen's conversations. So far, it wasn't proving very interesting. The only things that seemed to be even remotely concerned with what he was looking for was how the nearby Port was getting a lot of new foreigners coming from the mainland, and someone's grandfather going 'senile'. His stomach growled loudly and he groaned irritably. Not to mention he was starving. He hadn't eaten anything since he got here, and that was at this time yesterday. No… Walter wasn't the most happy camper around.

A figure entered the plaza that caught his eye, and his gaze lazily drifted over to him, nearly freezing when he did so. A boy clad in violet, a black ponytail, bells hanging from his collar… That boy… Jay was his name; he's part of Senel's group. Damned knives he carried had hurt like hell, especially when they were imbued with fire…

Jay looked around, as if looking for something, and Walter turned his head towards the stream before their eyes met. Walter's skin prickled at the feeling of eyes watching him, and he struggled to keep his expression blank. For a moment, it stayed there, but soon it left as he walked to a tanned man dressed in ridiculous white clothing. Walter took this moment to casually walk out of the plaza, even steps and a nonchalant persona he had practiced with.

Unfortunately, with his platinum-blond hair and dark clothing, he never was able to perfect the skill of blending into a crowd, and felt unnerved when he felt a gaze on him again. Jay obviously has had some practice in intelligence… Walter shoved hands in pockets as he headed in the direction of the inn, the boy following at a distance. When the Ferines reached there, he opened a door to the lounge downstairs and walked in, smirking to himself slightly. At least he was of age (or at least looked it) and could freely enter.

He quickly trotted upstairs to the inn and then Norma's room, trying the door. Locked… With that kid outside, he walked back into the lounge and sat down at a table between the pianist on stage and the door, listening to conversations and ignoring the hunger pains in his stomach. Letting his gaze wander, he looked around the place. The warm atmosphere and live music was something he admitted that the Orerines innkeeper did right.

"…Excuse me, sir…" Walter's ears pricked at the greeting and looked up at the tall man addressing him. Clad in blue and green clothes oddly resembling that of a Ferines, a long tied strand of dark yellow hair slung around the man's shoulder.

His hollow face looked down at him as Walter answered, "Yes?"

His eyes seemed to gleam strangely as he asked in a mild tone. "Your face looks familiar… Forgive me for seeming forward, but you would not happen to be a Ferines whom helped defeat that Crusand general in the battle here 4 months ago, would you?"

Walter immediately sensed something off about the way he phrased it… He suddenly wished he had that turban again (much as he disliked it). He looked over at the pianist on stage and smoothly lied, "I'm sorry, but no. Blond hair just happens to be a trait that runs in my family."

The stranger seemed surprised, and quickly apologized, "Ah, I'm sorry then! I thought I recognized you, please forgive this man's intrusion then…"

The blond shook his head and continued to face the pianist, but turned his eyes towards him, "Not a problem, sir."

"Well then, I shan't bother you anymore. If you'll excuse me." He laughed it off and left through the inn door upstairs. Meanwhile, Walter felt off about the entire thing, especially if this seemingly normal person noticed his heritage and face. This might be harder than he thought…

Quietly, he left through the inn entrance and then outside once more, noticing that the afternoon sun was beginning to dip below the city walls, and people were walking around to their early-evening dinner. A couple walked by him at a faster pace on the path as he strode down a few of the roads in the city, chatting about their most loved literature stories it sounded like.

Keeping an eye out for that annoying kid in purple, he walked down a street that took him past a residential area. He passed an elderly man sweeping his patio, eyeing him suspiciously and a few children swinging around a fencepost. His eyes drooped slightly at the sight, but pushed other thoughts out of his head as he entered a wealthier area of the city, some entrances sporting trellises covered in vines or roses. One particular house was in fact a small mansion complete with a sprawling yard and trimmed hedges. In front of the house, a few people were leaving, one an elderly lady in a pink and white gown and another a taller man in orange and brown with glasses-

Walter crouched below the fence-line, cape trailing around his ankles as he looked over the bank at them. More of Senel's group… That left the blue swordswoman, Senel, the Merines and the ditsy woman to find left. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the thought of the Merines still choosing to stay with 'her brother', though he wasn't even sure that was true at this point. Beatty said so, though…

A small voice spoke to him from behind, startling him, "Who are you looking at, mister?" He turned to see a small brown-haired boy beside him, possibly around eight years old, dressed in a patched shirt and sawdust-covered pants. He tilted his head at him curiously, "Are you peeking on those two in the garden over there?"

Walter pulled the boy by the arm down and shushed him, but noticing his fearful eyes, stuttered out, "Erm… I'm on a mission, and I _can't_ be seen by them, so stay down, ok?" The boy nodded with wide eyes. He breathed out and turned to look at the pair again.

The kid asked another question, "Are… are you a spy, like a secret agent?"

Walter rolled his eyes, "Sure, lets go with that…" He muttered aloud.

"Cool! I guessed you were, 'cause your dressed like a spy, and you have a cape. Capes are cool-looking! My friend, he plays a game called Legends, and this guy has a cape 'cept he's a bad guy, but you don't look bad except for your clothing. He says bad guys always wear black, but I said that not all bad guys wear black! I mean, look at…" Walter resisted the urge to slap his forehead as the child chattered on.

He tried to concentrate on the two figures in the yard, ignoring hunger pains, chattering children and an incoming headache. Then, the crystal eren nodded one last time to the woman and began to walk towards them. Cursing under his breathe, he tried to run, but the kid had grabbed onto his leg. Cursing even more, he grabbed him by the back of his shirt and bolted down the street, carrying the child with him. "C'mon kid; our cover's been blown." He looked down the street and saw no one on the street, but also no place to hide.

Cursing yet again to himself, he summoned his teriques and felt black wings sprout from his back. He kicked off the ground and rushed to the other side of a house, hiding behind part of a roof. In the time he did this, he failed to notice the child's look of awe on his small face. He crouched down and watched as the man looked around at the sudden sounds of flapping wings, then seemed to disregard it and walk down the street.

Walter waited until the coast was clear until he flew back to the street and gently touched down, wings disappearing as he did so. He set the kid down on his feet and crouched down in front of him, "Now kid, don't say anything about this. I mean anything, just forget this ever happened, and so help me if you do I'll…" He trailed off when he saw that talking to the stunned and awe-inspired child was futile. He sighed and stood up to walk away when he felt a small tug on his cape. He looked down and saw his tiny face looking up at him like… like he was his idol or something- oh Nerifes, what did he get himself into?

"Are you… are you a superhero…? Or magical or something?" His eyes got bigger and filled with a shining that was only present in children with heroes in their life, oh god…

Walter swallowed and exhaled heavily, Dear Nerifes, he's in deep… He crouched down in front of the kid and spoke again, "I'm not magical or a hero. I'm just…" He paused, shaking away faint memories in his mind. "...different."

The child tilted his head at that, and thought about something his parents kept telling him. The Ferines sighed again, and put a hand on the kid's shoulder, "Listen…" He started. "Don't ever treat people differently than you, ok? Kindness can go a long way for people… Just… promise me that." He said with difficulty. Lord knew he was bad with kids, though Orerines children probably weren't as bad as their parents were most times. They didn't learn how yet.

The kid nodded with a grin, one of his canine teeth missing, "Okay mister!" He put out a thumbs up in front of him for good measure.

Walter had to smile at him; he only hoped it'd stick. He ruffled the kid's hair and stood to walk away, "You take care of yourself."

The kid interrupted him as he turned to walk away. "Wait a minute mister!" Walter turned back to him. "…What's your name? Mine's Travis!"

Walter thought to himself for a moment, then decided too little people knew his real name for it to matter anyways. It wasn't like Maurits or any other Ferines would ever meet the kid. "…Delques. You probably won't remember it, but it means_ 'Black Wings'_…"

His eyes sparkled as he quietly tried to repeat it, "Duckets."

Magical moment ruined, the man sweatdropped, "Del-ques." he repeated.

"Duh... Cuu-es?"

"Oh, just call me Walter..." He threw his hands up. For Nerifes sake, he wasn't a grammer teacher. The kid seemed to accept it as his answer, and didn't seem the least bit phased by his frustration.

His role here completed, Walter walked back down the street, cloak fluttering behind him, and leaving a kid with one hell of a first impression behind him.

x x x

Norma left the inn with a questioning expression on her face. Since last night she hadn't a clue where her new roommate had disappeared to, and his note hadn't elaborated on his location either. May be back sometime… Hell, may be back now or never is more like it. However much it may have infuriated her, it still peaked her curiosity about where the heck he was. She walked down to the fountain plaza, and looking around there, found no one save a couple in one corner who she'd best leave to themselves.

Scratching her forehead, she turned a corner and saw someone walking back to the inn, someone in a cloak and dark clothing. Knowing one of very, very few people that could be, she trotted after them at a quickened pace. When she had finally reached the inn, she walked upstairs, trying to avoid any dirty looks from the innkeeper who was chatting up some fierce looking lady who was having troubles with her room.

When she looked down the hall from her room, she wasn't nearly so surprised to see Walter sitting against the door, cloak draped around his arms and sides. She walked up to him and tapped her foot impatiently. "Hey Wally. Where the heck were you all day, I've been looking for you since noon!"

He turned his head to look at her, bangs shifting slightly. He then looked back towards the ground, chin propped on his arms. "Looking for information…" His tone seemed off for some reason… Almost pained?

Norma lightened her tone towards him, asking, "…You feeling alright?"

"Hungry." He replied back.

"Wha…?" The answer surprised her so much it made her pause. "You forgot to…? You should have eaten something, dummy!" She retorted back, not very sympathetic.

"Couldn't…"

"Well, why not?"

"Had no money…" Walter mumbled.

"…So you haven't eaten all day?" Norma questioned, noticing he had been away all day.

"Yes."

"How long has it been since you've had anything!"

"Do you mean before we fought at the Mirage Palace, or since I've been resurrected? If the latter, then no, I haven't really eaten anything at all for a while…" He retorted, flushing when his stomach let out a quieter growl.

"You're crazy! You can't go that long without eating! C'mon, my treat!" She tugged on his arm and pulled him to his feet with a bit of struggling, pushing him towards the lounge-slash-restaurant. The two entered the downstairs, then chose a table and Norma quickly ordered something. "Geez, Wally. Way to go starving yourself like that."

Walter gave her an incredulous glance, "It's not like I meant to have empty pockets when I came back, Beatty. How could I have bought anything without any gald?"

"You could have asked nicely, or just freeload and start a tab or something!" Norma waved a hand at the restaurant around her. Her eyebrows rose on her forehead in what looked like a seductive expression, "Or work over some sort of deal or something like that~." She trailed off, grin threatening to spread across her face.

He snorted and rolled his eyes, grabbing the nearby glass that a waitress had passed them and chugging half of it.

"Speaking of which, Wally…" His eyebrows twitched downwards at the nickname. "Any clue why you didn't come back in your other clothes?" Norma asked, playing with the corner of a napkin.

When the glass clinked back down onto the table, Walter shrugged, "How should I know… I guess the world didn't want to see someone who looked like a zombie wandering around terrifying the poor citizens." Not the least bit light on the sarcasm, that one…

"Ha ha. Seriously, you'd think most people would reappear like that. What's up with that?" She said, nibbling on her bottom lip.

Walter ran through the thought in his head as well… Sure, it was good camouflage from Senel's group, but did that mean he went down the supposed wrong path as the Merines' guardian…? He blinked slowly, puzzling over the circumstance of what his actions led to, starting from when he met the Merines, Senel and the taller crystal eren at Lumen Spring and so on.

A few moments later, he was lost in his thoughts, and Norma was studying his far-off expression out of the corner of her eyes while they waited for their food. Personally, Norma's stomach grumbled, but she ignored it… As for Wally, she felt sure that he was hiding part of the story from her, and the stubborn girl was sure to try and get it. Finally, when their food arrived (the seafood bread bowls from the bakery), blew a small stream of bubbles into his face with her mithril straw. It was enough to get his attention, and he looked about to scowl before catching a whiff of the food in front of them. "Food's ready, Wally~!"

He took up a utensil and retorted, "I'm aware of that, Beatty."

She frowned at him, "What, Norma isn't easy enough to say? Your just like Chloe calling Teach and Senny, Coolidge and Raynard. It's boring!"

He slurped the soup, "I don't care if it's boring, it's better than _'Stupid Orerines'_, isn't it? Or would you rather I call you that?"

Norma pouted, "That's no fair!"

He ignored her and blinked down at the steaming bread bowl. "Needs more spice." He said, then took another bite.

Norma gave him an odd look before trying it herself. "It tastes fine to me…"

"There isn't any spice at all in it; the flavor's all wrong…" He muttered aloud, eating anyway before his stomach growled again.

"It's _chowder_, it's not supposed to be spicy." The bread bowl was one of her favorites here; it was perfect! How dare he insult it!

He was silent for a moment, then spoke again to himself, "…Maybe garlic powder would do the trick?"

"Oh, you are hopeless; just enjoy it for what it is! It's great as is, it doesn't need a ton more spices and ingredients tossed into it!" Norma blurted, exasperated. "What, were you raised on curry and chili peppers or something!"

He shrugged, "I was just critiquing the soup-"

"And back talking one of my favorite dishes!" She let out a frustrated breathe, then noticed one of the other patrons staring. Lowering her voice to a normal volume, she began again, " Next time, get curry or something like that…" She thought over the menu before remembering they didn't serve it here… What he didn't know won't hurt him.

Walter looked up at the ceiling for a moment with the spoon leaning against his lips. "Curry… …I haven't had that in years." He said to himself quietly, almost reminiscing, but loud enough the girl seated across from him heard the remark.

"'In years…?' You make it sound like your as old as Teach!" She remarked, scraping the side of the sourdough bread loaf with her spoon.

His eyes became sharp, his guard up again. "The older crystal eren with glasses?" She nodded. He exhaled and turned his gaze to the piano on stage; Go Shiina didn't arrive at the restaurant until the evening rush and on weekends. "How old is he…? Early thirties?"

She tapped a finger against her chin. "…Twenty-nine, I think."

His lids narrowed at her in disbelief, "Do I _look_ twenty-nine to you?" Thirty! Was that how old she thought he was! He barely looked over twenty-one, let alone ten years over that!

Norma propped her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand, "Well then, how old are you?"

Walter gambled on telling her, and lost the inward game of rock-paper-scissors against common sense. "Eighteen."

Norma's eyes widened a little at that. "Really!" Her surprised look disappeared in turn for a grin, "Ha, you're still a kid then!"

He downright scowled at that comment, "I'm not a kid, and I'm not going to tolerate being called that by a fourteen year old!"

"Hey, I'm sixteen!" She retorted bristling. Walter ignored her and instead chugged down a few more swallows of water, yawning afterwards.

Norma glowered at being ignored, finally giving in when she couldn't take his indignant silence anymore. She pantomimed writing a check to a nearby waitress, who came around with the bill. "Fine, fine, you win! Seriously though, you don't look eighteen…" He raised an eyebrow at her, indicating for her to continue. She took up a thoughtful pose, pretending she was the famous Thinker statue and scratching her chin in thought… thoughtfully. "You look more around the twenties stage to me, _just_ starting to enter the middle-age category!"

His eyes narrowed in annoyance, anger slipping in at the edges. "Watch it, Beatty…" He warned, glare biting into her.

She pulled out some gald, trying in vain to ignore his gaze. "Alright, sheesh… Can't take a joke, I see."

"Not when I'm the butt of the joke."

"Remind me not to pay for your meal ever again, Mister Humorless."

The two soon left the restaurant, where the older yawned widely and wanted to go back into the room. Norma gave him an odd glance, "It isn't even eight-thirty yet; how can you be tired?" He did seem to be sporting some faint circles under his eyes.

The Ferines blinked slowly, weariness seeping into his limbs again. Even for a Ferines who tended to go to bed early, he wasn't nearly this tired when he was still on his first life. He had even slept in this morning, maintaining the Orerines standard of laziness most were used to, and he was still tired. "I don't know. I just feeling like I'm going to fall asleep…" He drifted off, eyes bleary with sleepiness.

Norma's eyebrows furrowed and looked down the path towards Will's house. She was going to meet up with them tonight, he had something important he wanted to discuss with them, but Wally looked like he'd pass out at any time. She closed her eyes and growled softly to herself. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside the inn, watching with an unsettling expression how he seemed to sway slightly. Tromping up the stairs, she unlocked the room and they let themselves inside.

Walter walked over the wall and leaned against it, his head seeming like it was full of fluff. _What is the matter with me?_ He held a hand to his forehead to try and clear his swimming vision.

She looked over him, a worried feeling in her gut. What was going on…? She walked over and looked into his face, "You ok, Wally?"

He didn't answer for a moment, holding a hand against the wall, "…I don't know. All of a sudden this wave of exhaustion hit me, and it feels like I can't stand…" He blinked hard and focused his gaze on the window, but that seemed to unsteady him even more, and he swayed on his feet.

Norma put an arm on his back, "…C'mon, you're going to bed; I'm not luggin' your heavy self over there over there."

His hand slid along the wall as his feet moved, and his mind flipped back to a distant place in the Wings of Light. Surrounded by automaton, was working in an unfamiliar room on the Whisper Crystal. A flash, then he was walking along a hallway, sliding a hand along a cold stone wall. Wet coughs echoed through the hallways as flecks of blood covered his other hand, absorbing and staining his white sleeves. Flash, he was back in his own shoes, and near the bed. He fell onto it with a flop, enjoying the comfort it gave. _Sweet, sweet downy comforter, you are a lifesaver._

Norma looked down at him and crossed her arms. "Aren't you going to at least try to come up for air?"

A muffled answer from the blanket, which she guessed was no. Rolling her eyes, she pushed his shoulders over (He was lighter than she expected, but he was still like dead weight.) so that he was at least on his side. He breathed slowly, eyes closed and slowly slipping away into a dreamless sleep. She knelt on the floor and propped her arms on the edge of the bed, looking over at him. "Aren't you at least going to remove your shoes?"

It took a moment for blurry ice-colored eyes to slowly open. "No… Too tired…" He closed his eyes again, rolling onto his back for more comfort, cloak spread over one side of the bed. He didn't even comment about how close she was to invading his personal bubble of comfort. Overall, he looked like the poster child for someone who needed sleeping medication.

Norma looked at his chest rising and falling, and it reoccurred to her a small comment back at Maurits' hermitage before the Fun Bunch attacked Vaclav at the bridge. Walter had stood outside, uncovered blond hair seeming dark against the crisp white of his ordinary Ferines clothing. He was so different and, dare she say it again, _cute_ she had thought him a different person. He proved himself a cruel jerkass later on, but that still dissuade her from the fact he wasn't one of the worst looking guys in the world. Those thoughts hadn't arisen once since their quest, but looking over him now, they were beginning to trickle back into her subconscious.

"Are you awake, Wally…?" She softly asked, a thought taking root in her list of need-to-knows.

His eyes clenched tightly together for a moment, then they opened, not really focusing on anything. "What is it…?" he asked slowly. The world felt slower… Darkness was still flickering in the corners of his vision. He looked over at Norma, who's hair was beginning to reflect some of the faint moonbeams permeating the window. The Crystal Forest flickered through his mind, but he ignored the memories for now.

Norma opened her mouth to say something. Why are you really alive again? Why do you hate the Orerines so much? Why did you wear that stupid turban in the first place? Why… Questions died on her tongue, but instead she smiled. "Night."

His expression didn't change much at that soft reply, instead nodding slightly and falling back into dreamland, not reemerging again for a number of hours. She quietly stood up and looked over by the foot of her bed. Taking a spare blanket, she draped it across him, then padded out to go see Teach and the others. Turning back for a moment, she took in one last visual image of his sleeping form, practically comatose form under a single blanket and hair shining in the moonlight, before closing the door.

x x x

_No real afterthoughts this time, other than I should be doing my homework at this time…_

-REVIEWER FEEDBACK AKA: Thanks for the Reviews!-

**Shirogane Naoto** - Hey, my first reviewer! Personally, I've never really thought about Wally and Bubbles together until now. They compliment each other's personalities, and as my favorite characters I was wondering how they would act if romance was brought into the mix. Then the story kind of... Ran away from me. ^^; Glad you enjoyed it!


	3. Chapter 3: The Fantasy

_Guess what guys? I'm releasing the third chapter of Glitter in the Air in celebration of my trip to SakuraCon on the 22nd-24th of April! I'm going to be busy preparing with friends, so enjoy the fic while I'm gone~!_

Not much of a theme for this chapter, but a few key songs were "The Fantasy" by 30 Minutes to Midnight and "Better Than Me" by Hinder. Title's "The Fantasy" too… Also a note: the word 'jerkass' isn't a typo or my creation. See TV Tropes online for details on it, but I'm using it because it is one of the characterizations that Walter is listed under.

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Chapter 3 - The Fantasy

* * *

Late at night, near four in the morning, Walter's eyes shot open. He blinked quickly, breaths slowing and growing more regular as he faded back into reality. He murmured an inaudible curse and covered his eyes with a hand, wishing for images running through his head to stop. After a few more moments, he uncovered his face and peered over at the window, noticing the lack of any light or chirping birds. It was still night…

Sitting up on the bed, he noticed to his displeasure he hadn't even so much as taken off his shoes last night, and now his cloak was wrinkled too… Note to self, buy some more clothes so he could at least wash these ones without an audience staring. That was an interesting thought… Him standing at a Laundromat, half naked, with men and women alike staring as he washed his clothes. He let out a quiet chuckle at Beatty's horrified expression, then stopped… Odd what thoughts came to you in the middle of the night.

He thought about the lack of money in his pockets, and decided to get dressed anyway. May as well find some fighting monsters outside the city. Walter was willing to bet his fighting skills were a bit on the rusty side anyway. He began to get out of bed, but noticed a simple blanket covered him too; which even in his sleepy state he didn't bother throwing one on himself. He fingered the fabric quietly and looked over at the younger teenager in the other bed, breaths making her hair flutter in her face. He gazed at her for a moment too long, and finally got out of bed. He scribbled another note and left it where the previous one had been, made himself look somewhat presentable and left to go after some fiends.

x x x

Norma's eyes opened, hissing at the bright sunlight shining right into her pupils and inched back under the blankets like a vampire. After a few moments of trying to go back to her wonderful sexy dream, she gave up and threw the blankets off of her and kicked them away in a frustrated yell. She lay there, body beginning to get used to the chilly air, and looked over at the other bed. Empty. Her head craned the other way towards the window seat. A single scrap of paper again, akin to what looked like a sticky note.

Pulling herself out of bed, she walked over and picked it up, her eyes scanning the brief contents.

**Fighting monsters. Back by tonight.**

_This note was even shorter than the last one! _Norma thought, stuffing it into another pocket looking outside. Well, she was a bit hungry, and she did say she'd say hi to Chloe at the hospital. Maybe she could talk her into breakfast for both her and Elsa. With that, Norma got dressed and left the room, hopefully to fill her rumbling stomach.

x x x

A final kick powered by violet eres smashed into an eggbear, who promptly fell to the ground and refused to get back up. Walter landed on his feet, breathing slow and slightly uneven as his blue eyes watched a retreating salamander creature turn tail and flee into the woods, slithering green tail disappearing into the brush. The Ferines straightened his back and looked at the surroundings. So far, his eres were still in order, though for some odd reason the monsters around the Legacy seemed more powerful than usual, at least how he remembered them from two months ago.

Walking to a nearby oak, he emptied a bag of the spoils he had gained throughout the morning. Around three thousand gald, a few gels, the odd piece of chicken and shrimp (why would an egg bear drop that…?) and a climax bottle. Feeling satisfied, and stomach growling, he began to walk back towards Werites Beacon.

His ears pricked at a sound, and his feet stopped moving. His head craned around to gaze at his surroundings as a cold wind whipped around the leaves of the trees, rustling them and filling the air with the noise of their crinkling. Walter's blond hair blew around his face as his body became tense and alert. _What was that? _It wasn't any sort of creature that was common around this area, so what…?

A rumbling shook the trees behind him, near the forest. Birds shrieked as they flew away from the area, the trees no longer a safe perch. The ground rumbled again, trees creaking and branches snapping in the distance. The sound came again, closer this time. Walter's eyes focused on the brush under the trees, watching a form coming closer from the trees; a dark shape that reflected light when it cleared aside wood and branch. When it had only a few trees between it and the Ferines, his eyes widened in what most would call surprise, and what others called fear.

A hulking form emerged from the trees, long neck and a frilled head bursting through the branches, sending sticks and leaves flying. Emotionless, glowing eyes of emerald glared down at the lone figure in front of it, open mouth full of razors breathing hot hair and green mist. Dark scales with glowing circles along its flank thudded from out of the woods, a spine-covered tail and huge wings trailing along.

The figure below it stared on in disbelief and shock. "Impossible… What is a dragon doing so close to Werites Beacon, let alone on this side of the mountains?" He nearly took a step back before a mask fell back into place. "There's no way I'll beat this one on my own unless I still had Nerifes' Blessing, and with the monsters being so powerful…" His eyes darted towards a faintly visible hole in the brush, a perfect exit. His gaze shot back when the dragon roared, inhaling a deep breathe of air and leaning its head back.

Walter dove off to the side just as the hulking creature brought its head back down, expelling a huge cloud of green fire mixes with a toxic gas that torched the ground and killed the grass surrounding it. He rolled to his feet, covering his mouth with the black cloth that covered his wrists. The dragon took another stomping step and lashed out with its tail, the sweeping motion that nearly took the Ferines' feet out from underneath him as he leapt above the tail. His eyes widened when a huge scaled wrist equipped with sharp talons came at him from in front. He barely had enough time to cross his arms in front of his chest before the blow sent him hurtling into the trees, handing in a soft evergreen shrub twenty feet away.

Walter's eyebrows furrowed with pain as he felt blood seep into the black cloth of his arms. Jumping back onto his feet, he gave his arm a brief glance: two bloody slashes tinted with green were cut into his clothing. Glaring at the creature in front of him, he dashed towards the dragon without a second thought. As the dragon's claws rose to swipe him aside again, he leaned one leg on the ground and pushed himself sideways, around the dragon and through the hole in the brush.

He felt sticks and leaves scratch and snag his clothing, but who cared about those miniscule things when there was a fifteen foot fire-breathing flying lizard following you? The trees and brush zoomed by as the adrenaline rushed through his veins, helped by the heavy thudding footsteps following close behind. He cleared the woods and saw a nearby path burst into view, only to gape in shock at his horrible luck at being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, at least concerning other people.

Moses Sandor along with Geit, Csaba and a few of his bandits had finished checking up on their old hideout and were currently walking down a road that led from Port-on-Rage whistling to himself. A lot of the monsters around were getting pretty powerful too, so he and the boys had a bit of fun practicing some of their skills. Camping out in the park of Werites Beacon wasn't the most ideal place for keeping one's skills honed, so they had fun. Now though, he was happy to be going back. Yepper, everything had been going swell at that point…

As he passed by the woods near the path, he saw a figure burst out of the trees like a demon had been after him. He wore black and reddish-orange clothing, and his platinum-blond hair and face was enough to make him stop in his tracks and stare. He was so familiar looking… Blond hair, sharp expression and piercing blue eyes… But it was impossible, that Ferines jerkass was dead; they had killed him! His lips parted in confusion, "What the-" He began, but didn't finish when a rumbling roar came from the trees.

The ghost turned just as a huge green and black dragon burst from the trees, fire burning the air from between his teeth. The figure took one last glance at the bandit, then took off in a sprint towards the city. Moses got over his shock quickly as the dragon let out another roar. The chief grinned, and took out one of his javelins for an awesome battle. "Take a look, boys! Best of the best; let's take 'em down!" The group roared in approval, and charged.

x x x

Sometime later that day, under the shadow of a large vine-covered trellis, Norma was seated at one of the little tables near the bakery enjoying a strawberry crepe when she hear a passerby speak in rushed excited tones to another citizen. "Come on Ralph; those bandits finally did some good for a change!"

The older man snorted, "What in the world could they have done to do this city a favor?"

The young man practically blurted the next part, "They killed a dragon! Right next to the city on the road!"

The old one's eyes widened, "What!"

"Come on, we need to check this out!" He quickly pulled the other along down the street where she could hear a great commotion. Red and the bandits killed a _dragon_? They don't even come around this side of the mountains, let alone right next to the city. But… This was something she just had to see for herself. She stuffed the rest of the crepe in her mouth and ran out from under the trellis onto the street. Feet pattering down the street, she saw the other bandits with a huge cart behind them, showing off their kill.

Her face showed her shock, but then she closed her open mouth and walked through the small crowd to the cheering bandit. He was injured; most everyone was, but him only slightly. A long gash covered his right bicep, and looked like he had suffered a blow to the forehead, causing a small river of blood to run down his forehead. He also had the biggest shit-eating grin you would ever see on his face. "Red!" She yelled over the crowd, looking at him in an expression of disbelief and angered confusion.

He turned his gaze over to him and laughed, "Hey Bubbles! Look what me and mah boys picked up in the woods!"

"I don't care where you and your boys got it, what the hell was a dragon doing near the city!" She yelled over to him, but the bandit chief simply waved her off.

"Tell ya later tonight at Will's place. We're celebrating right now!" He yelled back, and the procession of laughing bandits and shocked/cheering townsfolk continued along the road towards the park. Norma's expression remained that of annoyance and confused, she walked over to the fountain, thoughts in her head about the strange circumstance.

She walked into the area, the people full of excited gossip, and sat down near the fountain where cool white water trickled down from Lumen Spring. It was ridiculous, she decided then on. "Why the heck was a dragon near the town anyway?" They don't appear anywhere on this side of where Raging Bay; now the empty plain surrounding the Bridge, used to be. Her eyes closed in confusion and she let her head knock back against the coral-red stone. Her eyes opened again, and saw the wide blue sky above her, filled with puffy clouds.

Norma decided to distract herself by going to visit (see: pester) C and Elsa. Senny and Shirl were there too, and they chatted about nothing in particular when JJ arrived, repeating that Will wanted to speak to them all. Something to do with Moses' recent discovery about the dragon. When they all had arrived, Harriett was feuding with her father again, and ended up storming off to Granny Musette's house.

It was then that Will started the conversation, "Alright Moses, we're all here. What was it that needed our full attention?" He crossed his arms and waited for an explanation, but patiently and not in an accusing way.

Moses puffed his chest out as he lounged back on the couch, "I'm willing at bet ya'll heard about that big beastie I brought in with my boys?"

Senel nodded, "You beat a dragon?"

The bandit nodded, "Yepper, pretty thing, isn't she? Hard to beat too."

Norma glowered, "Did you just bring us all here to gloat, Red, or was there something actually important to talk about?"

Chloe nodded, "I'm curious too… How did you drag a body of a dragon all the way back to Werites Beacon today?"

Moses' expression became serious and he looked at them all, "Dat's the thing though… I didn't drag him back from the other side of the island or anything like 'dat. Me and my boys were just walking back from our old camp when it just came a-runnin' out of the woods roaring. It wasn't even that far from town either; only half a mile out of the woods was where we found it."

Shirley looked at Senel with a worried look in her eyes, "That's really close to the city."

Senel nodded, "We've only really seen dragons in the mountains and the Quiet Lands; why are they suddenly popping up around populated areas?"

"Oh my… That isn't a good thing." Grune commented breezily, while Norma sighed. "You make it seem not like such a big deal, G-Girl."

"If dragons are starting to roam where citizens are, then the problem about the monsters on the Legacy getting more powerful just got worse." Jay commented, a grim expression on his face.

Will uncrossed his arms, "I need to relay this to Her Excellency immediately, especially if dragons are involved."

Moses was silent for a moment, then Chloe spoke up again, eyebrows furrowed in thoughtfulness. "The dragon wasn't the only thing you saw, was it?"

The bandit was silent, then spoke up again, visible eye narrowed in thought. "I saw something else, or… more like some_one_ else."

Norma felt a shiver go down her spine for some reason, and felt that she had a secret that was about to be uncovered… "Who was it? It wasn't someone from Gadoria or Crusand, was it?"

Moses shook his head and looked over at all of the others, then said his piece. "Right before 'dat dragon came out of the woods, a person came out before it, so the dragon musta been chasing him." He shook his head, "But… I swear I was hallu… haluce…"

"Hallucinating." Jay offered, a dull stare on his face as if the bandit had said he couldn't spell the word _'dumb'_.

"Hallucinating… But it couldn't have been him, he was dead!" Moses continued on, and Norma felt a stone fall into her stomach. Sure he couldn't have seen…!

"Who was it?" Shirley asked, curious.

Moses was quiet for a moment, and if even he was in silence about it then Norma knew who he was talking about even before he opened his mouth to answer. "…it was Walter."

Most everyone reacted, and Norma put on face to answer first, "Wally! But he's…"

Senel looked pained, "He died in the Wings of Light… He couldn't still be alive." Shirley was silent beside him: a painful reminder of who was lost when she had been the Merines trying to destroy the world, along with everyone before that.

Chloe shook her head as Jay stared him down, "This isn't a prank, right?"

"How could it be? He was there, wearing those clothes when we were in the Waterways! I carried him on Geit; I should know better than anyone what he looked like!"

Will brought a hand to his chin, "No one can just come back to life… Are you sure it wasn't another Ferines who just had the same clothing?" The bandit nodded.

Grune brought a hand to her cheek and thought to herself, "Hmm… He could have just gotten better…"

"I doubt it… He wasn't… he didn't look like he was breathing when we left. He couldn't have just gotten better… Otherwise Maurits would have known about it. Even if he did and kept it a secret, we would have seen him a lot sooner than now." Senel explained, snipping that theory in the bud.

Jay thought hard about this. "Well, even if what Moses said was true, we have bigger problems right now. Dragons are seemingly coming out of the wilderness, and it's going to put innocent people in danger if we don't do anything about it." The others nodded.

Will started in again, "I'll go inform Her Excellency."

Senel and Shirley stepped up, "We'll come with you." He nodded and the three then left, Chloe following after them.

Jay stepped forward then, "I'm going back to the Oresoren village to get more information…" In his mind, he slipped the issue about Walter into another category… he thought that man at the fountain had seemed familiar, but couldn't place his finger on it. It seemed rather obvious now, but that was another issue to deal with.

Grune smiled and left with the other two, leaving Norma to lag behind, her mind racing at the meeting. Dragons weren't the only problem on her list. If the others knew about Walter, what would happen to him? Especially when she didn't even know what was going on with him. Obviously, something about what he hadn't told her was bothering him in the form of sudden cases of exhaustion and nearly passing out each night.

She walked down the road, noticing the dark settling pretty quickly, and set her pace for a faster one. She entered the upstairs of the inn, and climbed the stairs to her room, taking out a key to unlock it. She opened the door halfway when she heard a muttered curse inside. Surprised, she opened it fully and closed it when her eyes locked onto a figure half in, half out of the bathroom.

Walter was leaning against the doorframe facing away from her, with the light of the bathroom showing her his bare back and him pressing a wet towel against his arm. When she closed the door, the sound made him look up at her. "How'd you get in?" The first question on her mind she asked, noticing the door was still locked when she entered.

He looked back to his arm and winced when the towel rubbed at the edges of the gash, making it bleed more. "I came through the window. Odd how you leave it unlocked…"

Norma set down her small bag and put her hands on her hips, "Well, I usually don't expect flying people invading my room and not using the door like normal people!" She noticed how the sink in the bathrooms had a roll or two of white bandages on the counter. Her arms fell back to her sides. "How'd you get hurt?" Not even _Why were you seen by Red in the first place?_ but, _How were you hurt?_

He didn't answer for a moment, pressing the sodden towel against his arm instead. "I'm willing to bet that bandit friend of yours told you about the dragon he slew, correct? That's the cause."

Norma's eyes widened, "You tried to take on a friggin' dragon alone!"

"No, I didn't. I was finding a way out of a hopeless situation and it landed a hit on me…" His head leaned back and hit the frame of the door, allowing her to see his pale face. Damn those stupid dragons and their poisons… And that one he had faced was a particular nasty one; its specific attacks were poisonous. And damn him for not having a panacea bottle on him when he went into the wilderness.

Norma walked over and held out an arm, "Show me your arm." Easy to manipulate as she could be in some circumstances, she was afraid by the look of the dragon Moses had brought in. That green color usually wasn't a healthy sign in nature concerning poisons…

Walter turned his gaze slowly to her and stared her down. For a few moments, the two stayed like that, and finally the Ferines let up. He took his hand off of the towel and let her take the towel off to look. She brushed it up against the skin a little roughly, and caused him to wince back a bit, but he was not going to show weakness again so soon after his dizzy spell last night. His pride wouldn't stand for it.

She peeled the towel back and saw two long slashes in his forearm, blood slowly leaking out of them and an inflamed color surrounding parts of the wound. "Didn't you drink a gel or something?" She asked, lowering it and taking out a straw from her bag on the floor.

"I did. A few of them in fact… Poison probably made it so that it wouldn't heal." He responded in the familiar clipped manner she was used to before the Wings of Light.

Her hands recovered the silvery straw and using the mana-imbued weapon, a green light surrounded Walter's arm and began to heal it. "Why didn't you use a _panacea_ then?" She retorted right back, a bit annoyed he could have prevented the incident.

"I'm _poor_ and _have no money_, remember? I went out to fight monsters to get some, and was on my way back when that creature attacked me."

Ah… She had forgotten about that. Norma's brows furrowed as an unpleasant frown slipped onto her face, which in turn caused the Ferines to smirk at her. And it was also hard to concentrate when, she just realized, Walter was still as cute as he was with his shirt on than it was off. A slight pink flush on her cheeks would have betrayed her, but Walter took it more as a sign of annoyed frustration and a sign of defeat than anything else.

As the edges of skin began to knit back together again, he felt the burn-like symptoms of the wound fade into a comforting tingly numbness. He had forgotten how nice a first-aid spell was, and the times he experienced it was rare, as he couldn't cast a healing spell to save his life. Literally. Had he known one at the Mirage Palace, he probably would have either won the fight or at least lived from their fight at the Wings of Light. …And now, he realized how foolhardy his goal of defeating them was at that point.

The change in mood around him was noticeable by the brunette who was currently healing him. Pausing for a moment but green light still healing, he noticed how depressed Wally was sometimes, sometimes not even noticing he was showing it. This was one of those times, where his eyes were far away with memories and his shoulders slumped uncharacteristically. Where was the arrogant jerkass she used to know, compared to the now slightly depressed individual in front of her. …not that she _missed_ the jerkass persona, in any case, but an explanation for the change would be nice.

The light slowly faded away, and the arm that used to be covered in scratches was now good as new, save for a few pale marks that would heal in time. "Done. Feel better?" She asked cheerfully, spinning the straw in her fingertips as he snapped out of his thoughts, absentmindedly running a hand over the unblemished skin. He looked towards her and gave a nod.

Norma grinned widely, then settled for a large smile as she leaned her weight on one of her legs and asked, "So, I'm curious… What'd ya find monster-hunting?"

He blinked, then pointed towards a leather-brown bag that would be strapped to ones hip on a table near the window. Her eyes lit up in greed and mischief as she nearly tiptoed over to the table with a madman's cackle nearly spilling from her lips. She emptied it and looked over the contents. "…Chicken and shrimp?" Where would he get these things?

"An eggbear. Don't ask me why it had those things…"

She saw a sparse amount of gald, and wondered aloud where it had all gone. Surely he had found more, other than just being rewarded with odd pieces of food and a few now-useless apple gels. "Is this all you got?"

"I had more, but ended up spending it on panacea bottles, which didn't nearly as well as I would have hoped." He sighed at how fast the money had gone. Back when he was the Merines' bodyguard, or even still a Ferines spy, he still got paid decently. Enough to let him have health items when he needed them. Now, he was grasping for coins in needing a panacea. …Sure he could have gone to the hospital, but he noticed the swordswomen from Senel's group staying in a vacant room there, so that was out of the question.

She looked over at his ragged attire and the torn black armguards. "…Probably not enough now to replace your outfit or that stupid towel at any rate…" She felt his glare and a cold shiver inched its way up her back. She turned back to him and yelled her complaints, "Seriously though! Most of us except G-Girl and maybe JJ have seen you in that clothing, and the turban _was_ stupid-looking, incognito or not!"

His glare lessened somewhat as he ran a finger across the cloth of his cloak on the chair. "…For Orerines wear, this wasn't so bad…"

"The turban?"

"You were right about the turban, it was stupid. The outfit wasn't awful…" He was never going to admit it, but he liked the black and red clothing. Turban aside, the outfit looked good and intimidating… But the stupid towel was ridiculous!

Norma left off at a crucial moment, thinking over that incident at the meeting. "…So… Red saw you before he took out the dragon… And…"

Walter heaved a sign and walked over to the bed he occupied, flicking off the light switch to the bathroom as he did so. The room fell into a darkness aside from the warm golden light the lamp near Norma's bed was emitting. "I'm guessing he blabbed to you all."

She shrugged, "Well, they're as confused as I was when I first saw you… But generally believe you are still around, because of who knows what."

He sat down and ran his fingers through his hair, back bending over so his hands propped up his forehead. "So now I'm found out… This is great. And may ruin everything…" He mumbled quietly to himself, berating himself for the stupid bandit being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Though, he did stop the dragon from following him into town, so that was a plus for taking it out. Still, his pride didn't want to blame it on himself; he was far too arrogant for that.

Norma's frown returned, and sensed the subject he was talking about was the thing he was hiding from her. "May ruin what, Wally?" His weary gaze turned to her, eyes unreadable and stormy as her thread began to unravel. "What's so important that it may ruin whatever-your-not-telling-me-about? I'm practically your only friend here right now… And you're not the cold and arrogant jerkass you used to be. Hell, the original Wally would have tried to kill me back at Lumen Spring when I challenged you, let alone telling me why you were back in the first place! What happened to you? Is there so big a secret you'll change your entire outlook on life and even get along with an enemy rather than try and solve it on your own!"

Norma ranted, and even though the Ferines knew where she was coming from, he honestly hadn't changed that much. He'd much rather solve the puzzle on his own because he was too arrogant to ask for help; asking to bunk with Beatty was only a necessity. He was still cruel, only enough so she wouldn't kick him out, and maintaining his distance when it came to Senel's group. Though… Anyone other than him reading his thoughts would see it as complete denial.

Walter was nearing his breaking point of snapping when suddenly and without any warning, the door burst open and Moses strolled in ranting, not seeing Walter at first, "Ok Bubbles, I can't take it anymore! Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I'm _not_ and I'm _not_ seein' things and I _don't want_ to see a Si-Kal-A-Gist or whateva' the hell that is! And I know_ you're_ probably the only one that'll listen to me and know that I'm… Not… …Crazy…" The bandit's rantings slowed and sputtered to a stop when he saw the shocked (see: horrified) expression on Norma's face and the shocked and irritated expression on the ghostly memory sitting in front of him, on a bed, and without a shirt. And in the same room as Norma.

He opened his mouth to sputter out something, but both figures leapt and tackled him, Norma running over and slamming the door shut then holding a mouth to Moses' mouth to prevent him from yelling that there was a _"goddamn ghost touching him, oh god get it off, get it off, get it off"._ Norma and Walter traded glances and the two for the first, but not the last time shared a thought at the exact same moment in time.

"_Oh crap."_

x x x

_I'm going on a whim here, and guessing that when one has been poisoned and has been running around, the blood flow would pump the poison around the victim's body faster and, ergo, make a panacea bottle not as reliable as when it would be administered quickly._

_Also, as you can plainly see, Walter is completely and irrevocably OOC in this fic… or at least in denial that he is. But this is, as you can see, a fanfic. Fanfics are made of OOC, as different events happen and in doing so change the character. That's my excuse for making him nicer and I'm sticking to it!_

-Reviewer Corner-

**Shirogane Naoto** - Midnight is nothing; you should see writers (like myself) who read up until four, five, six in the morning... I'm a bad example of a person who maintains a proper sleeping pattern though. ^^;

**Shiroi Iyasu** - Be careful about sleeping at the computer; sometimes keyboards have a way of imprinting marks on your face... At any rate, I assure you the romance won't be too obvious, if it even appears. However, I consider your skepticism a challenge~ :)


	4. Chapter 4: Kodoku

_SakuraCon was a blast! If you all want to read about it, there is now a link on my profile for the journal entry at DeviantART. Also, certain events in life made it so I have to upload this before my class; enjoy!  
_

_Themes included morning moon - Kajiura Yuki and one of the Okami prototype music themes. None of the themes fit for a title though, so I chose something else, that being Kodoku. ...The one from Death Note, mind you, not Fullmetal Alchemist.  
_

* * *

Chapter 4 - Kodoku

* * *

Norma winced multiple times as Moses pulled her hand off of his mouth and let loose a torrent of angered and utterly confused questions, "Bubbles, what in _tarnation_ has gotten into you! And why is he here with you? Why is he missing a shirt? And _how is he anything but six-feet under!_?" Walter just rocked back into a sitting position and rubbed the base of his nose, feeling a migraine begin to throb on one side of his head.

Norma shushed him, flailing her arms in front of him, "Shut it, shut it, shut it, Red! You want to get me kicked out!"

"Why should I when you have a-" he began, then Norma pressed her hands to his mouth again, shushing him again.

The bandit's eyes seemed to narrow in both annoyance and mischief, and a moment later Norma brought her hands back from his face shrieking, wiping her wet hands on her dress. "_Ewww!_ Red, your _disgusting!"_

He grinned at this, then noticed the Ferines near them again and his grin vanished. He crossed his legs and pulled himself into a sitting position. "You've got some 'splaining to do, Bubbles… Just why is Mister Stick-Up-His-Ass here?" The blond locked his gaze onto the redhead, half wanting to gape at the crude or knock him flat for saying it in the first place.

Norma felt the tension in the air, so thick not even the Nerifes Cannon could penetrate it, and seemed to wilt from apprehension. She gave a heaving sigh and sat down with a plop, "…It's kind of a long story…"

Walter seemed to growl with frustration and got up for a moment, walking over to grab his shirt. To hell if he was going to tell this story without a shirt on. It was getting cold anyway. "If you won't tell it, I will." He answered as he pulled the shirt over his head, noticing the slashes and bloodstains on the black fabric. Damn, he had liked the shirt too…

Moses crossed his arms and stared down the Ferines who sat in front of him, the two men sharing a heavy glance from the other. Neither looked away for a moment, and Norma saw the tension coming back in full force. She interrupted by knocking both of them over the heads like Teach would have done.

"Yeoww!" "What the…!" The two held their heads, one angered and one more surprised than anything else. "Bubbles, what was that for?" Moses asked loudly, hand rubbing the beaded hair as the pain faded quickly. Walter was less kind: "Beatty, why the hell did you hit me!"

She shook her head and waved her hands at them, "Honestly, you two are like kids! Grow up!"

"So says the pot callin' the kettle black." Moses muttered loudly.

"What was that?"

Walter's head throbbed more, and he held a hand to his forehead and waved away the arguments with his other. "Enough already! If you'll both shut up already I'll start." Moses brought his gaze back at them and crossed his arms, waiting for the opening statements. The Ferines looked back at them and rubbed his forehead to try and relieve the headache. "Well, it had started back at the Wings of Light…"

The Ferines wove the story together the same way he had to Beatty, except this time, he added on the events since they had joined rooms (or rather, he freeloaded off of her), keeping the dizzy spells and sudden bouts of exhaustion between them. The bandit's expressions changed multiple times, mostly between unbelieving and confused, asking questions and the occasional sarcastic comment in between…

"You hid in a tree, huh? Didn't know ya were so 'fraid of me." Moses grinned, not without an ounce of leftover sarcasm. It took much of the blond's remaining willpower not to deck him right there.

Apparently, they had begun to move around while the story was being told, as Norma ended up lounging on the window seat, Moses sitting on the desk and Walter was leaning against the wall near the window. The hour was getting late, and the sun had already dipped below the forest in the horizon, shading the city outside in a gray twilight lit by streetlamps.

Moses let the information sink in, and asked a question after the two had finished their bit. "Question. You're hanging 'round to gather info, or whatever you're looking for. Why are you lookin' anywho? Knowing you, you'd have high-tailed it back to the Ferines Village; why the wait?" Norma turned to the blond man, curious of an answer too.

He simply crossed his arms and flicked his gaze from the bandit to the floor. "I have my reasons. And I don't plan on revealing them to an Orerines like you." Oh great, the _'fanatic Ferines'_ façade is back in place…

Moses glared at the Ferines like he'd insulted him, "Why not? The big water god on the sky decided against war between us; we're on the same side!"

This time, Walter let his arms fall to his sides and glared right back at the redhead with an icy gaze. "We are not on the same side. Nerifes may have decided you weren't worth exterminating, but what's to stop more soldiers from the mainland trying to get their hands on the Merines again?" His gaze faltered when he remembered what he had arrived upon at the Alter of the Sea. Slaughtered Ferines on the ground, Gadorian soldiers surrounding the Merines, Fenimore dying in her arms… It was so worthless, they… she never deserved to die like that!

Moses quirked an eyebrow at his expression, but let it slip by. Norma used the hesitation to say her piece. "We'll protect Shirl from letting that happen! Let 'em try, we'll beat them back!"

The Ferines turned his gaze upon her, letting it stick for a moment, opening his mouth as if to retort back. Instead, he shut it and quietly walked across the room and opened the door. He closed it with a click, and the sound of footsteps faded away into silence.

Norma furrowed her brows, "Geez, what a moody guy." She noticed his cloak was still draped over a chair near the door. He'll probably be cold once he goes outside…

Moses shook his head and frowned, "Dunno why you deal with him, Bubbles. He's a royal pain in the ass on top of trying to kill us a bunch of times before."

Norma nodded and turned back to him, expression unsure. "I know, but… I don't think, I _know_ he isn't telling us the whole story. Hell, when we met at Lumen Spring, I was sure he'd try and kill me there and then, but he didn't. Obviously, whatever he's looking for is enough to change his outlook on things and freeload off of me."

"Bubbles, you're already a freeloader though."

She glared at him, "Well excuse me for being poor! I'd still have some gald left from treasure hunting had it not been for you guys meeting me." Her gaze softened. "I know I'm still in debt with the innkeeper too… I just need to find something to pay it all off. I hate having no gald." She stared hard at the ground.

Moses looked down at her, and walked over and gave her a hard slap on the back, "Cheer up, Bubbles. You're always bouncing 'round finding stuff for us; you'll find something to get some money in your pockets, no worries! I gotta go back with my boys anyway…"He looked over at the door, then back at her, "Hey, that jerk gives you any trouble, come 'n see me, 'kay?"

Norma looked up at the redhead and grinned. The bandit chief always managed until now to cheer her up (as well as getting her riled up), and it didn't look like that was failing just yet. "Thanks, Red. I'll make sure to do that. I'll even whistle so you can come and get a dog treat like a good boy!"

"Hey, I ain't no dog! I'll be seein' ya squirt." He shortly left afterwards, closing the door behind him.

Norma turned back towards the window, peering out into the dark gloom at the few figures still outside. One was staggering with a friend over one shoulder; probably carrying his drunken friend back to his home to nurse a soon-to-be-hangover. She leaned back against the wall and rested her eyes, wondering about where her new blond companion had walked off to.

X X X

The blond companion Norma had been talking about was currently sitting on the ground near the fountain, leaning back against the cool stone as the sound of rushing water washed over his senses. Even though crowded during the day, in the early morning and at night the fountain plaza was deserted, all the gossipers resting in their beds or eating breakfast in their homes.

Walter's mind wandered over the conversation; it was irritating how it wouldn't leave his head no matter what he did. Especially the bit about the Merines... Shirley. After some of the horrors he'd seen on the mainland and on the Legacy, power struggles were bound to erupt from different countries wanting access to the Nerifes Cannon. Despite the noble knight from Senel's group been born there, Gadoria was just as bad, if not worse than many of the countries vying for the Merines' capture. Crusand was the scum of the lot, but after the war they had lost on the mainland the country was decimated, leaving it penniless. They wouldn't be heard from for a long time.

Eaves-dropping on gossipers at the plaza proved useful in learning about other news.

A chill in the air made goose-bumps rise on the Ferines' arms, and he rubbed them with his hands trying to make them go away. Oh why did he leave his cloak there, and why was the summer rapidly transforming into fall? Damn dramatic exits and whoever created them! Now he was cold and miserable, and wallowing in dramatic, troubling thoughts and unhappy memories. He exhaled, and swore to Nerifes that he had seen a puff of warm mist in the air.

Bringing one leg up to his chest and resting his chin on his knee, he wondered about whether or not to just give up on his moody retreat and just go back to the room and get some sleep before he passed out again. The stupid bandit was probably gone anyway... A bitter frown crossed his face and his mind ran through a variety of unpleasant situations his unconscious self would bring. "Oh, that would be just _grand_, wouldn't it...? Pass out at the fountain and everyone wondering what kind of an idiot would do that. Oh wait, and lets throw Senel on top for extra humiliation, why don't we? Just a _lovely_ idea!" He angrily retorted to himself, feeling himself get more annoyed and incensed as he spoke. His frustrated rants echoed around the empty night air, heard by nobody but himself. Not that he cared. "Who knows... Maybe he'll just kill me, and I can fail _again!_"

Walter slammed a fist into the stone below, feeling his knuckles protest in pain. He brought his hand back and looked at the back of it, angry red abrasions covering them. He rubbed the back of his hand gingerly, wishing he knew a first-aid spell instead of just offensive eres. It would have been useful in preventing his death. Hell, if he had been healed sometime during the fight at the Mirage Palace, or Senel's group fighting the Royal Automaton at the Wings of Light he may have still been alive by now. …or at least, still going on his first life, and not a second one.

He rubbed his face with his hands, and groaned. "Just what did I do wrong…? Just tell me. What'd I do wrong?" He asked himself quietly, the sound of his voice muffled by his hands. His confusion and unease was beginning to get to him, he had no literal clue as to what he could do to keep his second chance at life. He couldn't turn to Senel's group or his fellow Ferines; they thought him dead, the later may not be wanting to help him anyway. Beatty and the bandit, they knew part of the story, but would they really help him? He doubted it; he was a former enemy, he couldn't be trusted.

Even if they did trust the Ferines again, he was one of the ones who was the most antagonistic, the most hateful of them. He hated them even though they were allies. Hated them because of everything their race had done to his in the past and present. He hated them... because was so stupidly jealous of Senel, who took away his life's purpose of guarding the Merines. Who made him fail in... The blond closed his eyes and leaned his head against his knee, blond hair shifting to hide his eyes from the empty plaza.

As the Ferines sank into another bout of angst, he never noticed a dark mist appearing behind a nearby tree, the shadows taking the form of a curvaceous dark-clothed woman, long green hair plaited into a high braid and a mask covering her features. She seemed to stand there, just peering at him in silence with a blank expression upon her pale face. Slowly, she walked towards him, mist following in her wake and causing grass blades from the lawn to wilt beneath her feet. Though her heels should have clacked loudly against the stone, the dark mist surrounding her absorbed all sound, leaving her footsteps silent.

When she was around five meters away, the young man flinched as his instincts flared to life. Senses alert, he looked up and got to his feet, ice-colored eyes searching the plaza for a presence, only to find an empty lot and rushing water. Confused, but spooked enough to be shocked out of his thoughts, he stretched and taking one last look around, walked back in the direction of the inn.

A few moments later, the women exuding black mist returned into sight. Her masked face gave away nothing, and after another moment she vanished in the mist, which dissipated into the air and eventually vanished. The sound of trickling water and rustling leaves were the only things that remained.

X X X

Later on, early in the morning, a minor earthquake rocked the city of Werites Beacon. It caused drinks to slosh around inside their bottles, papers to shift off of tables, and one person to fall out of their bed earlier than they expected.

X X X

_Thump._

"Aaah!" A voice squeaked as the owner of the voice was jerked out of dreamland.

In that instant, a few things happened. The shaking of the earthquake shook the already-squirmy sleeping form of Norma Beatty from her bed and to the floor in a mess of sheets and blankets. The heavy wood paneling of the floor shocked her out of her slumber, causing her to yelp in pain and surprise. The startled cry Norma made as she awoke also made the Ferines sleeping in the bed near her to jolt out of his sleep, causing him to activate his violet eres on instinct and sit up to defend an incoming attack.

She rubbed her head, mussing her hair even more to feel a bump begin to rise. "Owwie…"

Walter exhaled in exasperation and glared at the one who disrupted his sleep, "Beatty, do you have a habit of waking up people at ungodly hours in the morning?" He didn't even try to hide the disdain and annoyance in his voice, but it was overshadowed by the drowsy expression on his face brought on by just waking up.

Norma's head turned and she blinked heavily at the blond, his hair a complete mess and sporting a nasty glare aimed at her. His fingers were still glowing a deep violet from his eres, and she felt herself inch the away a bit. "M-morning, Wally... What's with the eres, are you going to attack me or something?"

The blond dropped his gaze to his shining fingertips and shook his head, purple light fading from his hands. "Tempting, but no. You screamed and woke me up; do you have any idea what time it is?"

Ok, now that the eres were gone he looked a lot less scary. "Umm, sorry 'bout that. I just woke up when I fell out of bed. Must've been another earthquake." She untangled herself from her sheets as she spoke.

Walter rubbed at his eyes with a hand as he tried to focus on the clock across the room on the opposite wall. It was… What was it; it was too dark to see anything. "Grr…" He shoved the blankets off of himself and walked over to the clock to read it in the dark, ignoring the cold floor beneath his feet. "…4:28, well it could have been worse…" He muttered to himself.

His gaze passed back over Beatty, who had picked up all of her blankets and was rearranging them into something resembling what the bed had looked like before. She yawned loudly, "What time is it?"

"Four-thirty in the morning."

Norma flopped into her bed, face in her pillow as she groaned, "Too early!"

Walter narrowed his eyes at the clock as if insulting it, then walked over and climbed into his own bed, struggling to clear his mind and go back to sleep.

A few moments passed, then a whisper cut into the silence, "…Wally?"

"What?"

"I can't sleep." Norma's pillow muffled the sound.

He growled to himself and rolled onto his side, "Count peepit chicks."

"I've tried that already, it doesn't work!" She lifted her head to complain, then her head plopped back into the pillow.

"Count egg bears then; leave me alone and let me sleep!" He replied sharply, annoyance beginning to stir when dreamland evaded him.

"That won't work; they're egg bears!" Norma wailed softly, blankets shifting as she rolled onto her back.

Some more moments passed as the blond kept his eyes clenched shut, hoping that he would go to sleep already. At the rate she was asking her questions he'll never get to sleep!

"…Wally?" Norma whispered, a question rising in her thoughts and now prevented her from sleeping (if she could, that is…) Silence greeted her back. "Are you still awake?"

"Beatty, just let me sleep…" Walter requested again, this time without any annoyance in his tone.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Can't it wait until the morning, when I'm not trying to sleep?" He asked back, incredulous and exasperated.

Norma opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, "I can't sleep because it'll keep me awake all night if I just let it sit around unanswered."

"If it's so important then ask already." He muttered, loud enough that she heard the response.

She hesitated for a moment, then let her mouth run away from her, "…Did you see anyone you knew? When you died, I mean."

She heard a small silence, then she heard blankets shift and a sigh, "I'll never get to sleep now. No, I didn't meet anyone I knew… or really anyone at all. I just woke up and I was here on the Legacy." Walter said quietly.

Norma's eyebrows furrowed, "You're lying."

"Well, that's your answer. I didn't meet anyone I knew when I was dead." He shrugged, rolling away from her onto his side again. Then, his thoughts repeated the events with the willowy women he had met, bells ringing in his ears. For some strange reason, the more time passed, the more hazy the image seemed in his head, and minuscule details became blurred, like being seen through foggy glass. Norma pouted, angry with his lack of a clear answer until he spoke up again. "…Although, there was one person I met. A women I've never met before spoke to me, before I woke up on the beach."

A long silence spread through the air, and when the brunette realized the blond wouldn't elaborate much more, she closed her eyes and tried to walk back into dreamland, images and more questions running through her head.

X X X

Later that morning, Norma heard a knock on her door, which made her brow twitch. She rolled over and mumbled something incoherent before sleeping once more. The knocking became more insistent and she was still oblivious to it.

Then, a growl from outside woke the other occupant, who's eyes opened to reveal bleary ice-colored eyes. His disheveled blond hair was strewn across his eyes and sticking up in odd places, making him look more ridiculous than usual. He rubbed a palm across his eyes, before he noticed the knocking and the voice outside. "Hey Bubbles, open up!" It was the bandit, thank Nerifes it wasn't someone like Senel or the bratty kid… However, with the racket he was making, it would soon wake up all of the other occupants of the inn too.

Walter looked over at the other occupant and shook her shoulder, "Beatty, bandit's here to see you. Wake up." She didn't so much as twitch. Frowning, he leaned closer and spoke louder, "Beatty, wake up." Still nothing. Throwing up his hands in frustration, he padded over to the door and threw it open, Moses' closed fist ready to bang on the door some more. He grabbed the strap to his javelin case and pulled him inside the room with one hand, closing it with the other and leaving the hall vacant of any disturbances.

The bandit pried the fingers off of him and blinked at the Ferines before frowning, "Oh, it's you. Where's Bubbles?"

He had to think for a moment before remembering the nickname was his for Norma. Far too many nicknames in this group… He crossed his arms and flicked a thumb at the sleeping occupant. "She's in the other bed asleep. I can't wake her up."

The two men walked over to the bed and Moses called for her to wake up again. She just rolled over and exhaled, stray hairs that had fallen into her face fluttering when she breathed. "C'mon Bubbles, wake up!" He tried again, still nothing.

The bandit then leaned down and pinched her nose, wiggling it and causing her face to scrunch up. "N-no pinching…!" She muttered aloud, whining in her sleep. He let go and she relaxed, snoozing once more.

Moses frowned and held up his hands in a shrug, "Well, I can't tell Harriett I didn't try." The Ferines nodded, and the two were quiet. A minute or so passed by, and he spoke up, eyes lit with a mischievous light, "So… You've got a pretty good case of bed-head there."

Walter shook his head to try and persuade the locks of blond hair to settle into a normal hairstyle again, "Shut up…" This caused the other to smirk slightly to himself.

A few moments, Norma seemed to sense their presence and slowly sat up in bed, arms stretching with a large yawn accompanying it. Her arms dropped to her lap and she looked up to see the two men near her bed. "…That's kind of creepy, seeing you two standing there like that."

"You wouldn't wake up." The bandit shrugged again.

"It's still creepy, no matter what excuse you tape onto it." Norma climbed out of bed and straightened the large shirt she was wearing, "So, what're you doing here anyways, Red?"

"Will sent Jay to come find me, and for me to find ya. Apparently, 'dere's a couple who need savin' in the Great Hollow, and we need to hurry there and do our thing." He responded.

She nodded, and shooed Moses out of the room to let her get dressed. He was about to complain about her lack of observance to the other male in her room when the door shut behind him. She turned to tell Walter the same thing, but he was already in the bathroom getting ready as well. Let it not be said he was one lacking in tact.

Norma shrugged and changed as well, quickly so he didn't walk in on her without a shirt. ...Not that there wasn't something to see, mind you; she just didn't want him breathing down her neck like a hopeless romantic. (See: Norma - large ego for details) She had just finished pinning her bobbed hairpiece into her hair when he walked out, changed and looking fresh. The two exchanged a look and she passed on her room key to him, "Here. You won't have to wait outside the room until I get back, at least."

He took it from her outstretched fingers and pocketed the small key, "How long should I expect you to be gone?"

She shrugged, "Meh, sometime tonight, whenever." They nodded at each other and the short bouncy girl left the room to join her companion.

X X X

_I always saw Norma as one who had a slight ego on her. Therefore, who _wouldn't_ want to see her without a shirt? XD_

REVIEWER CORNER

**Shiroi Iyasu** - Oh crap indeed... I just love one-liners at the end of chapters. It makes them... :puts on sunglasses: ...look cool. :_YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!_:_  
_(If you get that joke you gain 10exp and an internet...)_  
_


	5. Chapter 5: Storm

_Here's part 5 of my little fic-let, and I apologize for being a bit late on this one... I've been a tad bit obsessed with Portal 2 and have a lot of homework due, so it was hard just getting to my computer this week... Also, I'm having a hard time finding inspiration for my tenth chapter of this (all of this story is pre-written), so updates might be a bit sparse from here on out until late June._

And as for length, I'm thinking it'll end somewhere near the end of Norma's character arc. This, being because I never wanted that huge of a story anyways, and I'm terrible at keeping up with the canon storyline and putting you all to sleep with unoriginal lines… OR at least, in my eyes it's unoriginal. ...That was before I continued writing it, and it kinda evolved into a somewhat different idea then I had intended. Now, I've no clue where it's ending!

_At any rate, author's problem, not yours. Enjoy the chapter._

_Title's from Storm by Lifehouse._

_Enjoy the chapter! Themes include Yellow Submarine - The Beatles and Storm - Lifehouse._

* * *

Chapter 5 - Storm

* * *

"_In the town were I was born… Lived a man, who sailed to sea~!"_

In the cafe near the bakery, sitting at one of the seats was Walter munching on a crepe. Currently, he was trying to ignore the irritatingly addictive tune sounding from a nearby group of singers, who were getting ecstatic hollers of enjoyment and excitement. All wore a strange brand of clothing, beads hanging from shirts and while half of the four-man-band had huge fluffed hair, the other two wore theirs long with bandannas. They cheerfully sang their song and strummed guitars, grins on their faces.

"…_And we lived beneath the waves. In our yellow submarine~!"_

The blond gritted his teeth and held his head, trying to get that stupid annoying song out of his head. Nerifes damn it, it was stuck now!

"_We all live in a yellow submarine~! Yellow submarine~! Yellow submarine~!"_

After they had finished and started singing something about an incoming sun, the Ferines left the cafe with a very short temper and a song bouncing around in his head. What the heck was a submarine anyway?

Walking out of the city, he walked into the duct outside and set the coordinates to send him to the duct outside of the Village of the Ferines. At least he could find out if much has changed, which rumors from the fountain plaza made it sounded like it had. Feeling himself teleport and them warp back miles away from where he had started, he peered around for the clearing in the forest of fir and pine. He walked along the perimeter and kept out of sight, gazing along the lake where the village rested upon. At the moment, the mirage that kept it a secret was still in place, and even though he was worried someone may sense another sneaking through the barrier, he needed answers. Maybe this would help…

Using his black teriques wings to float near the entrance, he looked around the clearing before performing the seal that allowed his entrance. The visage of the lake view faded as a coral-red archway appeared in front of him, stepping stones in water creating a path into the settlement. Careful not to alert anyone, he snuck in, keeping to the shore and brush. As he passed he overheard two curious Ferines walk toward the entrance, speaking in confused tones as they walked right past him

Walter let out a slow breath and continued, listening in to any conversations that seemed relevant. Though even as he listened to gossip and comparing grilled salmon recipes, he felt low for eavesdropping on his own. Sure, doing it to the Orerines just felt like he was reliving some of the missions he performed when he was younger, but he felt bad intruding on the Ferines' privacy. They had enough things on their mind as of late.

He moved on, going to the edge of the village and leaping into a tall maple, eating an apple away from prying eyes. At least he wasn't hungry this time around. ...Or poisoned. Or wounded by a dragon. Especially the dragon bit.

As he finished the apple, he dropped the apple core into the bush below the tree and watched the people converse and move about with their normal lives. Leaning against the tree, he let one leg dangle from the branch he sat on and relaxed. It was nice to be back in the village, among his own people, even if just for an afternoon from a distance. He missed the smell of the fresh water, the array of decorative shells in the homes and smoked fish grilling outside one woman's house. As much as it brought back memories that kept him up late at night, he couldn't compare how much he had missed it.

Closing his eyes, he listened to the conversations below with half-lidded eyes, relaxing and nearly feeling a sense of normalcy again. Long moments passed by, and a breeze began to rustle the large star-shaped leaves around him. People came and went, conversations ended and begun again, and someone far off whistled as they carried a box filled with papers and books. Then, one voice shattered his trance with a single sentence.

"…Are you going to go see Fenimore again?" Eyes shot open and he turned sharply to lock on to the person who had said it. An older women who's light hazel-colored hair shone gold in the sunlight spoke to a younger girl who carried a few flowers in her hands.

"Yeah. I'll meet you at the shop afterwards." She spoke, and seemed so familiar, but in what way he couldn't distinguish. But if she knew Fenimore, it may offer some sort of info… Or just painfully remind him of something he knew already.

The two women nodded to each other, and the younger walked in the direction of the other side of the village, which he remembered led to a small clearing filled with evergreen trees. He quietly slipped out of the tree and followed closely, curious about this girl and her connection with Fenimore.

He slipped into another tree nearby, and noticed the scenery had changed slightly. Under a tree near the edge of the forest, was a fir who's large branches hung over a rosy slab of stone surrounded by a small garden blooming with flowers. His chest ached when he knew who it symbolized.

"Fenimore…" Walter said softly, and noticed the girl walk into the clearing, face turned away, and noticed for the first time the two strands of hair that fell from the back of her head, in the same style that Fenimore's did… Exactly the way Fenimore's did.

Who was this girl…?

She stopped in front of the grave, flowers he recognized as carnations still within her fingers. "Hi Fenimore. Another sunny day here, though not that you mind terribly. You always loved warm days like this." She crouched in front of the stone and placed the flowers on top of the stone. "Lisa's carnations finally bloomed; I brought a few for you to see. Pretty, aren't they? Her garden's just gotten bigger; she even planted more irises near her window; there isn't even room to see out of them anymore!"

The girl was silent for a while, then touched her fingertips to the cool stone in front of her, "…I miss you, Fenimore… Ever since you died, I… Things don't seem the same anymore. I was so happy to hear you were alive, and I did everything I could to get back to the Legacy to meet you here, but you… you died. Those filthy Orerines killed you, and… I... I don't know what to do now." She trailed off, her voice about to break.

The Ferines girl stood to her feet, and turned slightly towards him, and he couldn't completely stifle his gasp of shock. It was like he was looking at Fenimore once more, every detail of her face was just like her! He tried to remember something he thought he had heard somewhere… Didn't Fenimore have a twin sister on the mainland?

Startled by a sound in the tree near her, she turned towards his direction in surprise, pausing to wipe her eyes quickly. "Who's there?" She walked towards the area curiously, annoyed that her private meeting had been interrupted.

Cursing himself silently, Walter gathered himself in the tree and shot out through the leaves like a bullet. He took a moment to quickly peek below at the girl, who's eyes widened when she saw his form zoom through the air above her. She turned and ran back towards the village, but the time she spent running towards Maurits alerting him of the strange person in Orerines garb had been wasted. By that time, Walter had already sped around the outskirts of the village and through the duct before she could utter a single word about his presence.

x x x

Sitting in the shade of the fountain plaza again, Walter felts his thoughts spinning around the girl in the Village. So, apparently that girl was Fenimore's twin, and was now residing in the Village of the Ferines. He felt pity for her; twins had such strong bonds they sometimes could even read the other's thoughts, and she had her beloved sibling ripped from her.

His chest felt tight remembering the girl's sister, so eager to help somehow in the battle at the Bridge. She looked so determined (and a bit rude in the Waterways), and he was a bit confused as to why she stayed on the Legacy instead of searching for her sister. It seemed that she gave the Merines, Shirley a pep talk which allowed her to go on with the Rite of Accession. Yet... If she had left the Legacy for the mainland, then odds are she would have reunited with her sister and still be alive.

Shaking morbid thoughts from his head, the blond felt as if he had an obligation to Fenimore's twin sister. Was he supposed to help her move on? Was that his mission?

It seemed likely, but... somehow he felt that wasn't the whole story. But what else could it be? He sure as hell wasn't going to cheerfully walk up to Senel and say, "Hi, you may remember me as the person who tried to kill you numerous times before _you_ ended up killing _me_ and making me fail at the duty I was supposed to perform, which was the main purpose of my life since before I can remember. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for hating, no, _despising _your pitiful Orerines self and trying to kill you and your race even when you may have deserved it. Friends?" He'd rather be burned alive that say that.

He was more of a "Hi. You killed me, and it's time for a little payback. Eye for an eye, right?" person anyway…

Walter leaned back against the tree on the edge of the plaza, letting his thoughts wander. When was Beatty and her group going to come back anyway? He didn't want to play hide-and-seek with that dagger-happy brat again, and unfortunately he was beginning to grow used to the town of Werites Beacon. The noisy citizens had made his ears used to loud noises, and he was even getting used to the many shades and varieties of clothing here, instead of the traditional blues, aquas and white of his people.

He hummed a familiar tune as he thought about the Village he visited again, and berating himself for his lousy escape that resulted in a girl spotting him. Eventually, the humming turned into him softly singing to himself, his crisp tone different than the original laid-back one of the four-piece choir. "As we live a life of ease, every one of us has all we need… Sky of blue and sea of green, in our yellow submarine…"

The citizens who gossiped the latest news among their friends were startled out of their conversations by an angered and frustrated scream on the other side of the plaza. Something about annoying songs…

x x x

Norma trotted along the road from the item shop, her bag full of gald from selling her spoils of war from the Great Hollow. Though even the comforting feeling of a heavy wallet wasn't enough to wipe the grin off of her face from the good deed they had all performed that day. The parents of the baby were saved, and all was well. He had been a cute little bugger too, and she had gotten to tease Senny and Shirl nonstop about _their_ baby. It was funny how flustered the two were too!

And with her new-found wealth, she would be able to feast tonight! Hell, she could even pay off a bit of her tab with the innkeeper. She first went off to the bakery to snag some fruit for later, then to the inn to get a huge meal. What surprised her was a familiar face sitting near the entrance to the inn... Or at least, the familiar shock of platinum-blond hair that stood out from everyone else in the room.

"Wally, hey!" She loudly called from across the restaurant, startling said person and most of the others inside the building. The blond dropped his fork in shock at the booming greeting and the other patrons of the restaurant turned to stare at the bubbly girl in yellow. The pianist on stage playing a chipper upbeat tune with an accompanying saxophone player nearby continued playing, but raised an eyebrow at the girl. Walter knitted his eyebrows together and rubbed his forehead with a groan of embarrassment, even when the other people in the room turned back to their own conversations. She plopped down in the seat across from him and grinned, "Funny seeing you here, I was just coming here myself."

He gestured to the half-eaten plate of spaghetti in front of him, obviously over-laden with numerous spices after it had arrived on the table. "I was hungry and wanted something other than fruit, is that a crime?" He peered at her grin and felt on guard. "…What's with the grin. You look like you've just gotten away with murder."

Norma didn't notice the slip as she happily called over a waiter, "I scored tons of loot at the Great Hollow. I mean tons; there was a super rare monster that dropped tons of stuff and I got a lot of it because the others weren't interested in it. It turned out it was really valuable, and I got tons of money off of it!" The waiter came by and she ordered, "One seafood bread bowl and a fizzy P&P!"

She seemed more cheerful than usual, so it meant whatever she had sold had been very valuable. He twirled his fork in the pasta as he asked, "What exactly did you sell, out of curiosity?"

She thought to herself, "Well… I think it was a horn; it kinda looked like the horn we got from the grand gaet before we rescued Shirl." Walter nearly choked at the mention of a grand gaet. Dragons were one thing he knew Senel's group could take on, but a gaet, let alone a grand gaet? Those creatures were legendary! "Whatever it was, it sold for 5,000! I can feast tonight!" Her bread bowl was set in front of her, and she started in on it, forgetting to blow on the food.

As she blew on her food, the Ferines in front of her did the math in his head. "…Couldn't you pay off the rest of your debt with the innkeeper with that money?"

Norma sheepishly grinned to herself, "Eh he he he… Not really."

Walter raised an eyebrow as he drank from his glass of water, "Exactly how much do you owe?"

She paused and counted her fingers as her lips moved silently to the math in her head. She finished and said, "15,000 gald."

This time, Walter had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from spitting his drink out in shock. He coughed, and gasped, _"F-fifteen thousand?" _She nodded, and the blue eyes (well, the one in view anyway) blinked in shock. He put a hand to his head, a headache threatening to begin at the mere thought of owing that much. "…That's a lot of money." He replied simply.

She shrugged, "I've been here a while. I can't pay it all off in one day; I'd have no money to eat, or buy gels with." She slurped down more of the hearty soup in the sourdough loaf in her bowl.

"Fifteen thousand…" He repeated, still in shock.

"Yep."

"How long have you been on the Legacy?" He asked, suddenly curious if she had been there longer than when they first met in the Underground Tunnel.

"How long have you?" Norma countered, curious herself about his history.

As she thought what would happen, the blond immediately clammed up and frowned, "Why do you need to know something like that?"

She ate some more of her soup before answering, "Well, while we're on the subject of our past histories here, I'm curious about yours too. You tell me, I'll tell you. Deal?"

He scowled, but Norma wondered how curious he was, and hoped she won the deal. A few moments passed before he gave an aggravated sigh and responded, "Fine, deal. Now talk."

"How do I know you won't just keep it from me once I tell you?" She lowered her eyelashes at him and gave him a mischievous grin.

"Are you accusing me of lying?" Walter's tone was dangerously low. Apparently, that was a touchy subject with him; make sure to avoid that in later conversations…

"N-not at all, I just don't know you well enough to say whether or not you will or won't tell." She countered, put off guard by the icy expression in his eyes.

He let the answer simmer between them, while thinking it over. She had a fair point... He deemed it satisfactory and responded, "Three years."

She genuinely seemed surprised when he answered, but shook it off, "Three years? Well you beat my record. I was on the Legacy for a total of two months before the whole shebang with Shirl and everyone happened."

"If you've been on the Legacy for around seven months, why didn't you just stay with one of your friends?"

Norma sat back from her bowl, which was now empty, as was his plate of pasta. "Well, Senny just now has his own house, but it can only really fit one person. Shirl's staying with Granny Musette; JJ's with the Oresoren and as large as their house is, the village is too far away from here. Red's staying with his bandit buddies and I really don't fit in there; C's staying at the hospital's extra room so I can't bunk there either. G-Girl's taking up the only spare bedroom Teach has, and Hattie's in the other one… The inn's the only real place I can stay." She finished finally.

The Ferines gave her a blank look, "…I have no idea who those names are supposed to stand for save Senel, the Meri… Shirley and Red…"

She sighed, and told them their real names, "Chloe's C, Will is Teach, Red's Moses, Jay is JJ and Grune is G-Girl… And Hattie's Harriett, but you've never met her or Madam Musette."

He shook his head, "That's confusing… Though now I at least know what their real names are."

The two paid their bill and began to walk upstairs when the Ferines suddenly tripped on the last step up the stairs to their room. He barely caught himself with one arm, but in return for avoiding a faceplant in the floor he gouged his shin on the sharp stair edge. Now, a few minutes later, he was still cursing in pain as his pant leg was rolled up to reveal the pale skin that was already forming a nasty bruise. "No, I was not being clumsy! I just blanked out and missed the last step."

"Still say you're clumsy or sleepy. That, or those dizzy spells of yours are getting worse."

He rolled down the cloth and laid back on the bed, cloak and shoes by the door and scratching the place where the dragon scratch once was. Now it was nothing more than a faint pink mark, though it wasn't like it wouldn't heal. Even if it did become a scar, he's had worse. "Unfortunately, you're probably right about that…" He replied, resting his eyes.

"The dizzy spells or you being clumsy?" Norma asked, grinning from ear to ear at her sarcasm, which earned her a withering glare from the blond. "Well, we'll fix that later. So, anything new happen while I was gone? You were bored stiff-less without me, weren't you?" Norma grinned before reaching for her notebook and looking up something in her Relares notes.

He thought about the twin sister and responded, "…I think I might have a clue to what I'm looking for…"

"Really? A clue to what?"

"None of your business."

"Aw, you're no fun, Wally!" Norma pouted, plopping down on her bed and flattening the comforter that was on it. "Ok, enough of the silent treatment already; what's the clue?"

He sat up and looked out the window at the lit streetlamps and replied, "A Ferines girl… Someone from the village."

"You went to the Village of the Ferines? Gutsy; you could've been seen by someone." She commented, a curious smile on her face.

The Ferines laying on his bed furrowed his brows sheepishly, if only she knew… From the girl's expression and the way she had run away from him, the story she had told was sure to send the village into a small panic, or at least unnerve them enough to increase the security. At worst, they'll tell Will about it, and he'll be in even more danger of being discovered than he already was. "I wasn't seen by anyone. Even if I was, I could have gotten away easily; I know that place like the back of my hand."

She gave him a smug look, "Does this have anything to do with late-night patrols of the place?" By the deadpan eyes that were pointed in her direction, she guessed she had hit that one on the nail.

After a few moments of him frowning, he looked up at the ceiling and nearly pouted, a bit of color flooding his cheeks. "…Shut up…"

"Wow, you really do that. Man, and I was just joking at first! You take your job waaay too seriously, Wally." Norma laughed, staring out the window at the dark shapes blotting out the stars in the sky. It looked like the good weather was going to end soon, making way for a cloudy and rainy week… Or at least, not sunny anymore.

Walter closed his eyes at her comment and tried not to react. It was a bit of a low blow, even if she hadn't meant it like that… "I have to... Had to. I had to protect the Merines, or someone similar to Vaclav would have come along and taken her for their own greedy agendas, especially for the use of the Nerifes Cannon. It happened at the Alter of the Sea with the kingdom of Gadoria, and there's no doubt in my mind it won't happen again." He replied quietly, a tension filling the air at his words.

And there went her chance of lightening up the mood. Just remind the guy about when Shirl went into Merines-Mode along with Fen Fen dying, and he withdrew from the conversation and turned cold again. She couldn't blame him though, if someone had killed her Teacher then she'd be filled with the thought of revenge and rage too. But, nowadays it looked like it just made him depressed; old Wally would have smacked you around for an insult or a reminder like that.

She peered over at him, and noticed the lines under his eyes were growing more noticeable. He had been tired for a while now, though part of that may have been because of her waking him early that morning with her falling out of bed. If his subdued behavior had anything to do with it, then he had been suffering from more dizzy spells than he let on. "Hey Wally?"

"What is it?"

"…Do you still wish that Shirl had gone through with it? That the Cataclysm would have happened? That it flooded the world and killed all of us Orerines?" Norma asked hesitantly, careful but curious. It was something else she had wondered about. Did he hate them so much now? Sure, he wasn't as antagonistic to her as he was with others, and he seemed like a better person than the one she knew from two months ago... But had his views changed? The ones that were so infused into his past and personality that they practically made him into the harsh person he was.

The question came out of left field for the blond. So much so, that he truly didn't know the answer himself… _"Of course the Merines should have made the Cataclysm happen! The Orerines deserved to die!" _A bitter voice spoke in his mind, an angry and harsh voice that sounded like his own. "_They were the ones responsible for destroying your people for thousands of years… __They killed all you held dear, took the Merines and her sister and made them the source of power for a horrific weapon. They killed her sister, killed _Fenimore_ and never once stopped with their prejudice and greedy ways, and…"_

And what?

They had done horrible things, yes, but he also saw something else entirely that had escaped him before. Many people were like that, yes... but the good in others had shown through the bad moments most of the time. The positive outweighed the negative. Thoughts flickered, and images in his head appeared before him. The soldiers from the Holy Rexalian Empire against the Crusand armies of Vaclav, the otherwise ordinary citizens of Werites Beacon, the various gossiping women at the fountain plaza… A cheerful café filled with the aroma of baked bread, musicians and singers, loving couples, adventurers seeking adventure and thrills… A kid asking for nothing but a name and an person to idolize, a mildly-friendly conversation between two bickering friends, a mischievous life-loving grin…

The Ferines opened his eyes and the images faded from his thoughts as he mulled over his answer... And it startled him.

He looked over at the girl in the opposite bed, who had eventually given up on him answering and crawled into her covers, falling asleep soon after her head hit the soft pillow. The beams of light that would normally color her hair from her position in the bed were absent this time, leaving only a dulled yellow hue from the window to cast odd shadows across her bed. She shifted, hair falling out of her face as she rolled over, face peaceful as she romped through dreamland…

Walter gazed over at her for a few moments before leaning back against his pillow with a world-weary sigh. He stared at the ceiling for a long time while thinking over his new revelation. With a tremulous voice so soft it was inaudible to all but himself, he answered Norma's question.

x x x

_AN 1: I know that 5,000g doesn't seem like much (I mean, you get around 2,000 beginning in the game, right?), but I'm dividing the gald system so the prices are more reasonable and that the group isn't filthy rich. So, prices are normal but the gold they have has one less zero on the end. 5,000 = 500. Also, the inn normally costs 100g to stay in, but I upped it to 150g in the story._

_AN 2: The time passed in canon was 4 months: two months after Vaclav and two more after the Main Quest ended. This along with about half a month in between then and now. I'm guessing she's been on the Legacy longer than that, so I put in another two months. So seven months. She hasn't paid her debt much with the innkeeper, but I'm betting she paid him a little bit. So, half of her debt price is around 15,000g (ick…)._

_AN 3: Do the cast of Tales of Legendia besides the main characters who rode in Poppo's (sadly not-yellow) sub even know what a submarine is?_

REVIEWER CORNER

Shiroi Iyasu - Sounds like a very evil chuckle... I honestly thought it would have been full-out adventure, but didn't stop to think that it would have appeared so much as a slice of life fic... ...Speaking of which, why doesn't the site have a slice of life genre?

Anisatin - Why thank you! I aim to please~


	6. Chapter 6: Always Hardcore

_Another chapter down... Sorry for the week-long wait: delay was for desperately needing to finish final assignments for class and the sad passing of a beloved family pet. Also, writer's block is a surefire pain in the ass, so it was kind of irritating writing this one… But enough about that; hopefully this one turned out both somewhat action-packed and funny.  
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_Title is "Always Hardcore" by Scooter for this one...  
_

_Themes are: Kioku - See-Saw, One (Always Hardcore) - Scooter, and of course, the Bantam Bouncers song. That's right, the Bantam Bouncers are in this. If you read the Author's Note you'd know that. Don't say I didn't warn you ahead of time…_

* * *

Chapter 6: Always Hardcore

* * *

The next morning, Norma was wandering Werites Beacon as always, looking for something to cure her boredom. She was going to ask Wally if he could come with her to explore the Man-Eating Ruins with her again, but he declined. Not only did he say no, but he seemed irritated she had even asked. When she questioned why he seemed to hate the place, he needed only to remind her about the complete failure his team had when they tried to retrieve the Whisper Crystal. Norma herself had also failed to mention to him she was nearly killed and/or petrified by falling asleep on a monster bed when she and the Fun Bunch went there seeking the same object. After that conversation, Wally had wandered off somewhere within the city, and she was left to her own devices…

Now, her feet had led her over to the entrance of the graveyard, the large stone monument standing near the path at the bottom of the hill. Why had she gone here of all places…? Turning to the stone plaque beside her, she mulled over a thought. "Well, since I'm here I may as well visit Teacher." Norma said to herself, and turned to walk up the hill to the graveyard.

The graveyard wasn't completely silent, as a breeze made the leaves in the trees rustle and birds sang on their branches. One flew overhead, riding the currents of the wind with outstretched wings and landing on the wall bordering the graves. Norma couldn't help but smile good-heartedly, even while the wind was blowing in grey clouds and covering the blue sky above. She passed the wall and entered the maintained yard, walking the familiar path towards his gravestone. Inwardly she was relieved that Zamaran was nowhere to be seen.

Stopping in front of Sven's gravestone, she grinned, "Hey Teacher, miss me? I haven't found the Everlight yet, but I'm working on it. I'll have it in no time!" The stone remained silent, and she brushed some dirt off of the top of the marble. "...You know, someone's staying with me now. Do you remember that mean Ferines guy I told you about, the one with the black wings that come out of nowhere sometimes and tried to kill us a lot? That's the one."

The brunette glowered at the rock as an answer seemed to appear in her thoughts in his voice, sounding all kinds of disbelieving. "I am not crazy! He's really alive, seriously! …I just don't know how. He won't tell me anything about it; clams up every time I ask. Though… he has been nicer to me, and hasn't insulted me that much. I think whatever happened up there changed him." She pointed towards the sky for good measure. Lowering her arms she sighed and crouched in front of the stone, light reflecting off of the smooth surface. Another imaginary response, and she pouted. "…I don't know what you are talking about; I don't like him! You're just jealous!" She yelled at the large slab of rock, a slight tint of red on her cheeks.

Her argument with her teacher's memorial had blocked out her noticing the sound of light footsteps coming up the path from behind the wall. The bird perched on it saw the incoming figure and chirped a warbling cry before flying off in the direction of the fountain. "…But, I still want him to lighten up a bit, who wouldn't. And…" Norma thought to herself, trying to put her thoughts into words aloud. Norma could hear her teacher giving her a lecture about how one shouldn't trust enemies so easily, but that she should go for it anyways. Just because... He _was_ always the risk-taker of the two. "…Ok, I'll help him find whatever he's looking for. Hell, then I can have him help me find the Everlight as payback!" She pumped an arm into the air and grinned, "This, I promise!"

"Promise what, Norma?" Norma leaped, flinched and squeaked in shock all at once. She peered behind her and saw a familiar face. Fair wavy hair with a headband of flowers upon her head, the current Merines looked at her with a curious expression.

Norma struggled with her words for a moment, then hastily said, "Th-That I'll find the Everlight, of course! What else would it be?" She didn't think that the girl had bought it, but she pushed aside the topic and tacked on, "So, what are you doing here Shirl? Were you looking for me?"

Shirley shook her head delicately, "No, I was just visiting Stella."

"Ah." Norma felt a bit guilty now. She was just doing the same thing she was; talking to a close friend/relative. She looked up towards the sky, "It's really been four months since then, huh? And two months since the Wings of Light."

"Mm-hmm." The blond girl agreed and nodded, expression sad. The two remained silent for a bit, then she turned back towards Norma with a serious look on her face. "Norma…"

The brunette paused and turned back to her. "Yeah, Shirl? What's up?"

"…" She shook away her serious expression, leaving a light smile in its place. "Ah, never mind. I must have forgotten what I was going to say."

"Hey, G-Girl's already has enough amnesia for the rest of us, don't get it too! Well, I'm hungry, so I'll see ya later Shirl." Norma said, and the two girls said their goodbyes and the brunette left. Her feet make hollow clapping sounds against the cobblestone path until she turned the corner around the wall and disappeared from sight.

Shirley walked slowly over to her sister's gravestone, wondering to herself about Norma's strange behavior. "She wouldn't just hide getting help in finding the Everlight from us; she uses every chance she can get trying to find it." She said to herself. …And who was she going to help? Surely the others aren't looking for anything as far as she knew, they would have told her and Senel. …Is Norma hiding something from us?

x x x

At that precise moment in time, Walter was walking along the streets, popping the last crumb of a croissant in his mouth, listening to far-off conversations as his feet led him to nowhere in particular. He passed by the fountain, and continued along the streets and across a bridge to another part of the town. His feet finally stopped and the blond looked around him to see where he had ended up. A large building with a red cross in the center of it loomed in front of him; so he had ended up at the hospital.

He didn't think much more of it, because he noticed a familiar caped figure stepping out of the hospital, accompanied by a more frail-looking girl with a brown and pink dress. As she was looking back and chatting with the girl behind her, the Ferines sprinted and dove into a patch of bushes on the edge of the canal. He crashed into the foliage and nearly fell into the water nearby.

The short brunette girl with ribbons in her hair started and looked behind the knight, "Did I just see…?"

Chloe looked over at her with a confused look, then peered towards the bushes, "What is it, Elsa?"

"I swore I just saw a man dive into the bushes over there…" Walter silently cursed from his position, but if he so much as moved the leaves would rustle, confirming Elsa's prediction of a figure being there. A sharp branch was digging into his back, making his crouching position even more uncomfortable. This was humiliating!

She looked over the brush, then turned back towards the brunette, "I don't see anything."

Elsa sighed, "Maybe I'm just seeing things…"

Chloe smiled at the younger girl, "Hey, we were supposed to go to the bakery, right? If we wait, there might not be much left." Elsa nodded and giving the bush one last look, she walked alongside her across the bridge and out of sight.

Waiting a few moments until the odds of him being seen were slim, Walter poked his head up and peeked through the foliage to check if they was gone. He detangled himself from the bush, picking the twigs off of his shirt and pulling away the branches snagged on his cloak. He reached into his hair, and was dismayed to find leaves there. He growled to himself and started brushing the twigs out of the blond locks.

Footsteps approached him from the bridge, and he noticed an older man in a green robe walking around slowly, seeming exasperated with himself. The blond quietly watched him shuffle across the bridge and head towards him. He picked one last leaf out of his hair right before the man came into closer view. He continued his walk as if there was nothing in front of him and bumped into the Ferines, nearly bowling him over. Quick instincts made him catch himself on the ground, and he easily flipped back onto his feet with an indignant look on his face.

Before he had a chance to snap at the old fart, the graying man held his hands in front of him in apology, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you like that."

Walter exhaled a breath, irritation rising in his chest, "A little hard not to, I was right in front of you."

He lowered his head and seemed to hide calm annoyance behind his tone, "Yes well, unfortunately my eyesight isn't what it used to be. Anyway, I'm sorry for running into you like that, but could you tell me if there's now a library here?"

The blond thought to himself for a moment, not remembering there being any library at all in Werites Beacon. The only place he knew about that had such a thing was probably one of the wealthier citizens of the town, along with that bookwormish crystal eren Will. He shook his head, "A library? …No, I don't think there is one."

The older man exhaled patiently and nodded, "I see… Well, thank you again, young man." He turned and began his way back across the bridge towards the center of town.

The Ferines shook his head at the odd encounter and followed the older man to the crossroads where he turned and walked up a path towards the park.

x x x

Inside the center area of the park, one bandit stood near the edge of their caravan, chewing on one of the pieces of meat that had been roasting on the grill for around 20 minutes. Enjoying the tender taste and smoky flavor, he peered around waiting for Csaba to come back from shopping.

Even if the townspeople didn't appreciate the park being taken over by their presence, they didn't protest them buying goods from their stores, mainly food… A little less area in the park was a little hardship compared to the economic growth the shops enjoyed, not to mention both of their camps had been destroyed and not yet rebuilt. They also haven't been robbing people while their caravan was settled in the park. All of those, plus the fact they liked staying in the lively town of Werites Beacon. There were lots of pretty girls hanging around, mainly one redhead that kept visiting and flirting with unofficial first mate Csaba.

Gnawing on another piece, he watched, not noticing the figure walking up the path and along the grass, clad in red and black.

Geit, whom was taking a nap near a tent at the entrance of the small circular plaza, pricked his ears and opened his eyes. He lifted his head and wolfish eyes locked onto the unfamiliar figure. The man looked different, but the scent was the same one that was on his companion Moses and his friends. That scent lingered in his weapons after the large fight the day after the party. Geit stood up, now recognizing the man as an earlier enemy that he had fought.

He took a stance near the entrance and growled softly, hackles rising slightly. The bandit near him jumped and looked over at the large galf, confused. "Eh…?"

One of the shorter bandits walked over with a short sword and an oil-soaked rag in his hands, "Hey Toni, what's up with Geit?"

Toni shrugged, looking back to his friend, "I dunno; he just started growling for no reason. Maybe he's going senile or something'…"

His friend shook his head, choppy brown bangs swishing in his eyes, "Moses would hit you if he heard you sayin' that." His eyes caught a blond figure who had halted in his walk, staring at the galf with an exasperated expression. "Huh, looks like he's just growling at that guy over there."

"He never acted weird with any of the people here though. Is he just hungry?" Toni looked over him and scratched his head. That blond guy looked sort of familiar…

"You idiot, he always whines at us when he's hungry. Or steals our steaks. Or both." The friend retorted, snorting through his nose.

"Don't call me an idiot, idiot!"

"Only idiots call other people idiots, idiot!"

"Then you're an idiot too!"

"…Should we go see what's up?"

"Probably."

Toni and his buddy put down the items they were holding and strolled over to the blond and the growling galf.

x x x

Oh great, it was that damned mutt again.

He had hated it since he found an endless amount of galf fur stuck all over his clothes (and snickered at by a few Ferines at Maurits' Hermitage) after the events of the Waterways ambush. He hated it since it had jumped on him while he was taking a much-needed nap the day before the battle at the Bridge. He hated it since it managed to get into his bedroom near the conference hall and chew up a pair of his best boots when the group had arrived before Shirley's Rite of Accession. He hated it since it had attacked him alongside the rest of Senel's group at the Mirage Palace. He _still_ hated the thing, and here it was, growling softly at him with hackles raised in Werites Beacon...

Did he mention how much he _loathed_ the grand galf? He really did.

Walter nearly growled right back at the galf and glared at it. "You again... Why won't you just run back to the woods and _leave me alone for once?_" The two continued their staring contest, both intimidating figures in their own right. Walter's icy eyes then caught two approaching bandits walking towards them, and he turned his eyes towards them, flicking back to the galf every so often.

Toni snapped his fingers and whistled at the galf, "Geit, down boy! Quit growlin' at the guy!"

His friend shook his head, "Toni, Geit only obeys the boss, ya know that already."

"S'not a crime to try, is it?" he retorted irritated. He turned back towards the man and shrugged, "Sorry bud, I dunno why he's growling at ya; usually doesn't do that…"

Walter frowned at the galf, "Well, we aren't on very good terms."

Toni's bud scratched his scalp curiously, "Wait, you know Geit?"

"Unfortunately. The same goes for your ringleader…"

Toni thought hard about that statement, and it clicked suddenly for him, "Hey, Kit. Isn't that the guy we saw runnin' scared from that dragon a couple days ago?" Walter started, and the bandit grinned. "Ha, I knew it! You are that guy! I don't blame ya for runnin' honestly, it was _pretty_ big, though it's a good thing boss and the rest of us was there to beat it!"

Toni laughed, and Kit watched the stranger's expression change into annoyance and partially anger, and was filled with apprehension. If those icy eyes were any measure of what kind of a person he was, he was not someone to be trifled with. "Uh, Toni…"

"I mean seriously, are we made of awesome or what; even Vaclav was scared of us back when we ambushed 'em at the Waterways!" Had he been a puppet, his nose would have already been a large sapling by now, with all of the false praise and bragging rights he had bestowed upon himself. Even Geit had paused for a moment in his growling to look at the exuberant bandit as if he were a particularly loud insect.

"Are you finished with your visions of grandeur yet?" Walter interrupted, reaching the limit of his patience with this man. "I came to the park for a bit of peace and quiet, not endless chatter from the wannabe-thief underlings of a stupid bandit."

The two bandits glared at him, Kit especially, "Hey, you can call us wannabes all you want... But when you insult our leader then it gets personal!" Geit growled angrily at them to improve their point.

The Ferines tipped his head back slightly and laughed mockingly. "Oh please, you two and your dog can't so much as put a scratch on me… Your leader wouldn't be able to defeat me, neither could you." How false that statement was; Moses was a formidable opponent alone, but with his friends he was a definite threat. However, out of these three, only the galf was a dangerous one. He could fight these guys without eres, his fighting skills were good enough for their level.

Toni growled and put up his fists in an aggressive stance, "That's it, you'll pay for that!" He swung at the blond, who quickly sidestepped and left the bandit reeling from the empty blow. The blond smirked, like this fight would be won with no effort at all.

Kit grinned, "A fight, huh? Sound like fun; c'mon Geit!" The other two charged towards him, Kit thrusting a fist out for an uppercut. Walter ducked and used a hand to push the other away. However, he didn't expect the large grand galf to attack him from the side. The large animal leapt and tackled him to the ground, hot breath breathing on his face as he growled angrily. Walter glared at the beast before grabbing his chest fur and slid himself underneath before raising his legs above him, kicking upwards into Geit's stomach.

The galf yelped and immediately leapt away, and as he did both Toni and Kit were back into the fray, fists and legs flying, both eager to land a hit. Walter blocked most of the hits, occasionally parrying himself and sending one of them onto the ground. Without realizing Geit's presence behind him, the galf barrowed into him from behind, sending him to the ground. The blond quickly caught himself on the ground and used the momentum to flip himself back onto his feet.

When he was back into his fighting position, Kit caught him off guard and landed a solid blow to his face. He stumbled away and the three were back in front of him. Walter panted quietly and put a cool hand to his cheek, feeling a dull ache there. Damn it, that was going to form a nasty bruise later that evening… He glared at the three and charged for another bout of flying fists.

x x x

Norma was currently at the café munching on a pastry, appreciating the flavor of the strawberry filling. She had looked around for Wally around lunchtime, but saw no sign of the Ferines anywhere. Eh, maybe he just didn't want to be found quite yet. In any case, he'd make himself visible during that evening, she thought, and took another bite.

Nearby, someone had run up to one of the various citizens of the city, and whispered excited blurbs of gossip into their ear. Apparently, it was a big deal, as the other had an excited gleam in their eyes and ran off towards the northern part of Werites Beacon. Norma furrowed her brows and took another bite of her food, ignoring the nagging curiosity in her brain. Even if she didn't go immediately, she could always ask JJ what was up in the city that day.

With that thought in place for her schedule, she finished her food and walked over to Senny's house for a visit. Or to annoy him, whichever came first.

x x x

After a while, the four had accumulated various bruises and scrapes from the fight, but were still staring each other with anger and dislike, if not more so since the scrap had begun. Not knowing about the other 's injuries-though they were worse off than him-Walter was still sporting the not-yet-formed bruise on his face, along with small scratches along his right arm and a smart in his side where that shorter one had sucker-punched him. Then again, he was a bandit. Bandits fight dirty.

All of a sudden, the heavy tension that was thick in the air evaporated at a very unusual circumstance that had been added to the scene. A drumbeat… no, more like the beat of a tune in a club, had permeated the area around them. The other three were just as confused as he was, and they looked around for the source of the sound. Walter's eyes soon caught a pair of figures, one a man and the other a women, who were… oddly dressed, almost like performers. One of which sported what must have been the largest pompadour he had ever seen. Another odd circumstance was the sudden appearance of some citizens, all standing in a formation like that of a musical troupe; they too wore similar matching outfits, though not nearly as whimsical as that of the two mysterious figures.

The two leaped from their position in front of them, with the citizens behind them. The beat began to pick up, and the man began to sing. "Hey, yo, you four causin' trouble; Don't 'cha know the rules of this town?" The blue-haired man began, and for every note he sang, the women wordlessly danced along to the seemingly-choreographed routine.

"Fighting is banned!" "Violence too!" Two of the backup dancers piped up, startling the Ferines while the bandits blinked, completely confused but whom seemed to know what was going on.

"Exactly! Just what they said. You gotta obey the rules at all times, ya dig?"

"What if you break them?" A townswomen sang, wagging her finger.

"Oh no!"

"What if you disobey?" Another piped up.

"Brrrrrr!"

"What'll happen? What'll happen? What'll happen? What'll happen?" The entire band of citizens sang, increasing in volume with every sentence.

"Thooose who break the rules will get to feel, the iron hammer of justice and it's thunderous peeaal!"

"YEAH! They're defenders of justice!" One man had gotten behind them and sung loudly, scaring the four our of their wits.

"If there's a crime, we'll stop it! If there's a brawl, we'll squash it! Oh, yeah! That's...our...gig!" They all begun dancing, finishing off the song with a finale.

"Go Bouncers~!" The chorus all sang, mimicking the poses of the other two.

The bandits seemed to cringe away from the the two, Geit had sat down during the song with his ears lowered against his head and Walter was so dumbfounded by what he had seen that he was speechless. "I… _What…?_" He mumbled out, eyes wide and confused. Who _were _these people!

The blue-haired man put his hands down and looked over the four at them, then turned his glance to Toni and Kit. "Hey brothers, haven't I reformed you two already?"

The bandits had seemed to shrink even more, "Yes…"

He crossed his arms, "Well, what's all the commotion about then?"

Toni angrily shot a finger at Walter, "He insulted both us and our boss Moses, and we won't take anyone insulting him!" Kit shot him a warning look and punched him in the shoulder.

The pompadour-sporting man looked over at the Ferines, who was tempted to bolt right then and there, but stayed and kept his gaze at the ground. He may have seemed strange at first, but now Walter remembered this man from the battle against Vaclav. He was a powerful swordsman, and an intelligent soldier who would recognize him if he wasn't careful. Knowing Senel, he had probably told him the entire story about the automaton's presence around the town, the events at the Wings of Light along with everything else.

The man gestured to him, kneeling on one leg, head thrown back and arms in the air. "Wayward youth, why are you so quick to injure others with your swords of words? Why are you so cold, so unforgiving, so without justice and brotherly love?" He said it in such a dramatic and theatrical performance that the Ferines couldn't help but look up, as if to register if this guy was being serious or if it was all a joke.

The man glanced back at him, and a moment time sped by slowly between the two. In this moment, his eyes widened slightly as recognition appeared in his features. As he recalled who he was, Walter's own eyes widened the smallest fraction in his discovery and, even though he hadn't been defeated by the two, news had been sure to spread of his death from them.

Time had sped back up again, and the blue-haired man moved first, lowering arms and opening his mouth to say something. Walter moved next, in which he pressed his foot on the man's bent leg and stepped up, using his shoulders to propel him over the Bouncer. He landed softly, and the women reacted next, running to catch him. She was too slow, for when she had gotten to where he had stood the Ferines had already sprinted towards the exit. And as the two bouncers regained their wits, he had vanished around a corner and out of sight.

The blue-haired Bouncer stood up and silently gazed in the direction of where the young blond man had run off too. The dancers had begun to dissipate around to the other areas of the city, and the bandits to their caravan, leaving the two alone in their part of the park. He turned to his female partner and said, "Isabella, did you recognize him too?"

She nodded, "Yes Curtis, I did… Although I haven't a clue on why he is here, when Senel said he was deceased."

"As do I, but he was here before our eyes nonetheless. We must report this to Will immediately."

"Yes Curtis." With that, the two departed towards the sheriff's house, disappearing around the bend opposite of where the blond had run off to.

x x x

_If you were at surprised to see the Bantam Bouncers in this, don't be. I'm trying to include mentions of a lot of characters in this story, minor or not. Also, if you had read the author's note at the beginning of the chapter, there's a warning about their appearance. You shouldn't have skipped it this time~ :P_

Reviewer Corner

**Shiroi Iyasu -** Well, if that chapter was worth the wait I certainly hope this one was as well~ :D And as much as I disliked how much gald one got from level grinding, it's worth it getting those lovely Black Onyx and Moon Crystals. And it is a genre, but maybe just not a popular one that the AU tag or general genre wouldn't cover._  
_


	7. Chapter 7: A Beautiful Lie

_Late again... Life's been busy, and I'm falling into my old procrastinating habits. I'm not abandoning this story though!_

Here's another installment, which covers the remainder of the day, a long explanation of events thus far, and the beginning of another arc in itself. In reality, this chapter WAS just so I can get to Norma's CQ and try to set up some resemblance of a plot that isn't this repetitive mess, but I have a fantastic new plan that needs some working on... Which I'm also having a bit of trouble on. Enjoy!

_Themes are: Sekai wa Sude no Azemuki no Ue ni (Instrumental)- Yusa Koji, A Beautiful Lie- 30 Seconds to Mars, You Are Loved- Josh Groban_

* * *

Chapter 7 - A Beautiful Lie

* * *

Later that evening, Norma and Walter were in the inn, one studying her Relares notebook while the other read his borrowed novel on the window seat. A nearby lamp gave off enough light that both could read in peace. Norma shrugged off a throw from around her shoulders and closed her notebook. She turned towards the blond, his hair a glimmering gold in the lamp's light. "Hey Wally?"

His eyebrows, or at least the one she could see, twitched but he remained silent as he turned a page.

She leaned back and put her hands in her lap on top of her book. "So… I was wondering, you…" She's been curious about something, but hesitation kept her from continuing her sentence.

After a few moments of silence, the blond sighed and closed his book, "Well spit it out, what is it?" He said loudly.

Norma started suddenly, then shook her head and continued. Why was she so jumpy around him all of a sudden? "Wally, can you be honest with me…?"

Walter closed his eyes and was silent, expression guarded. Knowing what she was asking about, he kept his answers clipped, "I'm not a liar, but I'm not going to outright tell you either, Beatty."

This would have made her deflate normally, but she had an angered expression on her face instead. "Exactly what I'm talking about, you're-" She exclaimed, but a knock at the door silenced her and startled the two of them. The two exchanged glances and she called out, "Who is it?"

The response came later on. "It's Jay. Will wants to speak to all of us, now."

Walter started at his voice through the door. Damn it, not that brat again! Norma peered at him and felt a small part of her laugh at how he looked ready to bolt out the window like a boyfriend caught by a teenage girl's overly-protective father. She swallowed her nervousness and called again, "Just a sec, I'll be right out." She waved over at the Ferines silently, who quickly got the message and quietly slid off of the seat and crouched near the beds, hidden from sight.

Norma quickly gathered her things and shoved them into her bag, grabbed her Relares notebook and trotted over to the door, opening it with a flourish. "Sorry 'bout that, JJ! Let's go see what Teach wants."

Jay nodded, hesitating in front of her and peering at the inside of the room before turning and walking down the stairs. Norma closed the door, locked it and followed soon afterwards.

The blond waited a minute, then quietly walked out from behind the bed, staring at the door with a relieved expression. "Too close…" Nerifes, he was beginning to feel like a criminal hiding from Senel's group all of the time. He exhaled softly, then turned back to the window, looking out at the heavy darkness that the light posts easily penetrated with a sense of foreboding. No matter how much he hid, he would have to show himself sometime… he just had to complete whatever task brought him back before that time came.

Little did he know, that the allotted time would soon shorten that evening, all due to a forgotten black cloak that hung on the edge of the bed…

x x x

Walking up the path to the house the skies were beginning to turn pink and orange, the sun already touching the tips of the mountains behind the town. Dark clouds were just beginning to linger on the horizon, and a breeze was beginning to pick up. Norma kicked a rock with her foot up the path, wincing when it hit another man's foot. He looked down at the rock in confusion, and the brunette averted her eyes, face red with embarrassment. Jay ignored her and walked further ahead. She caught up and tucked her hands behind her back. "So JJ, any clue what Teach wants with us?" She asked cheerfully.

"Apparently, Curtis and Isabella had some information for us, and they shared it with Will, who in turn is sharing it with us." He replied simply.

Norma swallowed, "About the black mist, right?"

"I don't know." He trailed off.

The girl let a small, smug grin light her face, "I bet it bothers you… Not knowing something." Jay gave her an exasperated expression: that lovely irritated look she strived to see whenever she tried to annoy someone and succeeded.

"It does, but baiting me isn't going to help our problems." He responded, his tone taking on a frustrated tone.

Norma pouted, as the two passed by the fountain entrance. "JJ, you're no fun! Usually you would make a witty comeback, or insult my maturity somehow; I'm disappointed..." She whined in a teasing tone.

Jay stopped walking near the city map, causing Norma to stop in puzzlement. "…Norma?"

"Yeah, what is it, JJ? Why'd we stop?" She asked.

He turned to face her and stared into her face. "Did you go shopping within the last week or so?"

Norma seemed even more confused by this question, and scratched her head, "Huh? Well… Yeah, I guess."

"What for?" He crossed his arms this time, his expression even and unreadable.

"The usual stuff: Gels, a few potions, food from the bakery and dinner at the Inn's restaurant. Why?" His eyes seemed to become a bit more steely, but instead seemed to focus away from her for a moment while deep in thought. "JJ, what's with the twenty questions all of a sudden? I never knew you wanted to know this much about my personal life, but seriously; a person's privacy is a person's privacy-"

He snapped out of his thoughts and gave her a hard look, "Cut it out, Norma. What's going on? You've been acting strangely since the earthquake happened, and I'm rather curious why you're lying to me."

Norma felt a shiver go up her spine as she put on another act, "JJ, I'm shocked! Sure, we've all been acting weird since then, but you know I'd never-"

"You are lying to me, Norma. You just proved it when you said you haven't been shopping this week. If that's the case, why are there extra belongings in your room?" Jay interrupted, his voice low and gaze slowly turning into a glare as she tried to wiggle out of answering his questions.

Norma fully froze this time, knowing she'd been found out. Crud, how'd he…! She then thought back on Wally's coat on the bed near hers. Darn it, JJ's too observant for his own good.

Her stiff posture and shocked expression told the entire story to the short shinobi, who in turn placed enough of the pieces of the puzzle together to figure out what she had been doing. His demanding glare turned dark.

As he took her arm and pulled her off of the road towards the fountain, she struggled, but he had his grip tight on her arm. Norma panicked inside, a cold chill running laps up and down her spine and creating goosebumps on her skin. Ah crud, he's pissed now. It was pretty obvious to her that he'd found out, but what was he gonna…?

She struggled enough that he had to stop, but now the two were enough off the beaten path that the two would be uninterrupted during his interrogation. More specifically, they were in the empty fountain plaza. "JJ, let GO!" Norma finally ripped her arm from his hand, rubbing at it and looking back at him, his eyes burrowing.

"Norma, how long have you been hiding him?"

"I-I don't know what you're-" She stuttered out quickly.

"Yes you know damn well what I'm talking about! Walter; you know he's been waltzing around Werites Beacon as well as I do. How long have you been hiding him?" He demanded angrily. Norma stood stunned, staring at him. The moment she averted her eyes from his harsh glare they knew her lie had come undone.

"The evening after the earthquake happened…" She replied quietly, deflating as the angered shinobi glared daggers at her, but knowing it wasn't just because of the Ferines, but lying to him and the rest of the Fun Bunch. They won't be so fun once JJ tattles on me about this, she thought to herself, and opened her mouth before he asked another question.

"Well, what else happened?" Jay asked, no trace of humor on his face.

Norma slumped to the grass, wrapping her arms around her folded legs. "JJ, it's a long story and Teach is still-"

"I don't care; we'll get back to him on that. This is more important at the moment, now **talk**." He said firmly, not in any mood for argument.

Norma sighed to herself. She had gotten herself into this mess, she might as well explain herself… She could only hope (futilely) that JJ wouldn't tell Teach the story too. Or anyone else for that matter. "…Well, you might as well get comfortable, JJ." She mentioned with a defeated look on her face. Jay sat cross-legged in front of her as she spilled her story, knowing that he would know if she left out any details.

"It all started around when the earthquake happened. We had all run down the hill and down to the beach after that little mist monster, and I saw this little flash of color near a rock down the beach. We fought the monster, and since I didn't see anything I left the thought alone while we went back to town. Later that evening, it wouldn't leave my head and I had to find out what that flash was.

"So I walked up to Lumen Spring and saw some shoes and a cloak by the spring. I tried calling to see if anyone was there, but no one answered. I looked in the spring, and at the bottom was Wally; fast asleep at the bottom of the pool and dressed like he was when we first met Senny, Shirl and the others. I ended up slipping, falling in and waking him up."

"Klutz." Jay responded simply, and Norma fumed.

"Shut it! Anyway, he woke up and honestly I thought he was gonna kill me right then and there. Then…" She furrowed her brows, "He didn't do anything, he just became quiet and asked me for a place to stay for the night."

Jay gave her a strange look. "That doesn't seem like him… Are you-"

"I'm not lying, damn it!" Norma snapped before quieting down. "I know it's strange... I know it's out of character for him, and that's one of the reasons I let him stay with me. He just… He honestly looked confused, like he didn't know what he was doing there. Even if he had escaped from the Wings of Light, which he reminded me he didn't-"

"So he really did come back from the afterlife…?" Jay looked just as puzzled as she did. "That doesn't make any sense; there's nothing that can bring a person back from the dead short of necromancy, and even that only reanimates the body, not an entire person's heart and soul as well."

"I know. I keep asking him about it, but every time I've asked him, he keeps shooting me down and replying with crud like how 'he'll tell me later'… But he did tell me what… it was like, to die, I mean…" Norma shuddered, and let her head fall onto the tops of her knees.

Jay was silent, and she continued, "…He said it was like falling asleep… Just drifting away and not being around anymore. Sounds pleasant, compared to what people talk about about fiery pits in the underworld or tunnels of light."

"…Continue please."

"Anyway, he came back with me, and we almost got caught by Red, but he hid in a tree. Turns out he hates him too." She stopped long enough to see a slight smirk on the boy's face, and she rolled her eyes. "He came back with me to my room at the inn, and… Hey, nothing happened; quit giving me that look! He just went to sleep, out like a light." She snapped her fingers, "Like that.

"Next day he took off by himself, and I didn't really see him much until that evening when we had dinner." She waved her arms in exasperation, "And he had the nerve to say the bread bowl they made tasted wrong. The heck is wrong with him, that's my favorite dish, darn it!"

"Tasted wrong…? I thought Ferines _liked s_eafood…" Jay replied, brows furrowed in confusion.

"I know! Apparently, it wasn't spicy enough for him."

He blinked. "…A chowder not being spicy enough? I've never heard of such a thing, who makes a chowder spicy?"

"I dunno, but apparently a few days ago he had spaghetti and doused it in cayenne pepper."

"…Maybe he just likes spicy foods." He replied, scratching his cheek. The two were silent in thought over this and Norma coughed.

"So… After that, he told me how old he was. He's actually a lot younger than what I thought he was."

"What did you guess?"

"Same age as Teach."

Jay choked and nearly laughed, "Twenty-nine? He looks nothing like that."

"Well, what would you have guessed?"

"Somewhere around twenty."

"…Lucky guess, he's eighteen. Anyway, we finished dinner, and when we went back to my room, he just got really tired and nearly collapsed."

"Wait, he collapsed?"

"I didn't get it either… He just… lost all of his energy all of a sudden, like he was about to pass out. I had to pull him by the wrist up to the room. When he got to the bed, he just fell on it and passed out… It's happened a couple times since he arrived, and… I'm kinda worried."

"Wait, you're worried for Walter? The Ferines who tried to kill us more than a few times?" Jay questioned, exasperated now.

"He isn't himself though… He hasn't tried to kill me, and isn't as mean as he could be. Wally hasn't even called me something like "stupid Orerines" since Lumen Spring… He's obviously bothered about something, and keeps leaving without any kind of message of where he was going. …Well, there was one day he went to fight some monsters, but I went out, and it turns out he ran into the dragon before Red and the other bandits ran into it. When I come back to the room, he's in the bathroom trying to wrap a poisoned scratch on his arm from the dragon. He can't heal himself to save his life…" Which I figured out after the fight at the Mirage Palace, Norma thought to herself.

"And we found out about him being alive then." Jay commented after a few moments of silence from her.

"Yeah… I had healed him, no problem. But…" Norma trailed off.

"But?"

"…Red kinda burst in and found out Wally was alive."

"The stupid bandit knew about this too?" Jay was mad again. To think Moses knew about this before he did; it was at the very least insulting!

"Yeah, but I didn't tell him everything; not the whole thing about him dying and his dizzy spells. Anyways, Red and Wally got into an argument about why he's hanging around and not returning to the Village of the Ferines-"

"I've been wondering that as well…" Jay commented aloud.

"-And Wally left, then Red soon afterwards. I didn't see him around until the next morning when the earthquake happened. I woke him up when I fell out of bed around… I think it was four in the morning. Anyway, I went back to sleep. Someone pinched my nose, and I when I woke up Red was there too… Will wanted us that day: it was when we saved the baby's parents at the Great Hollow. I sold that horn we had gotten and went to the restaurant to eat, and he was there. We just talked about nothing, really… Apparently, he had visited the Village of the Ferines that day while we had been gone."

"He waited until this long to go there…? Did he meet with Maurits?" Jay asked, though right after he has said this he thought it over and realized the village elder would have spoken to them if that had been the case.

"No, he stayed out of sight. Probably missed the place enough to go is my guess. So we went back to sleep that evening, and this morning he was gone again… He had come back to the inn, and we just read. Actually, I was trying to get him to open up about why he was hanging around when you came and dragged me off to Teach's house…" Norma inhaled a deep breathe and swallowed. She tossed up her arms for a moment and added, "And here we are, JJ. That's pretty much the whole story."

Jay was quiet over the last of this, and it made Norma nervous. She ignored the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, for all the wrong reasons and spoke. "Look, JJ… I know I lied to you and the others, and I'm sorry. Just… please... Don't tell them about any of this."

"You can't keep it a secret forever." Jay replied.

"I know, but I at least want to know what's keeping Wally around. When his problem is solved, I'll tell them myself. I promise…"

"How can I trust you when you lied to me about something as important like this?" Jay questioned, his gaze hard.

Norma winced and clutched her legs tighter. "I know, I know, and it's awful I did that. I'm risking my word, my reputation as a treasure hunter on this…" Norma's eyes flickered back to the ground. "…Wally's changed somehow, but I dunno what or how. From what I've seen, he isn't the same person, not entirely at least. He's trying to find something, some piece of information... but I can't figure out what it is and he won't talk about it."

Jay mulled over her words, and waited a moment before replying. "So, you want me not to tell the others and help you help him find whatever he's looking for? After everything's that happened, that's a tall order…"

Norma looked at him with a pleading expression on her face, "Please, JJ, I'm begging you. Don't tell them… Just let me figure this out."

Jay was quiet, trying to figure out what the best logical course of action was, while keeping morals in check. She lied to him… But was also honest in her reasons and wanting to help. She had also promised on her reputation and pride on explaining the entire story when the whole fiasco was over. "I'll accept if you agree to a few conditions."

Norma nodded, a sign of hope on her face. "Short of killing me and taking all of my money, anything…"

Jay stared at her after hearing her answer, but shook it off and held up a finger. "One, you won't lie or keep me in the dark about anything that happens from now on. I want to know everything that is going on." Norma nodded, and he held up another finger. "Two, You'll stop procrastinating and give me back the elixir you owe me from the battle at the Mirage Palace."

"But those things cost… Nevermind, done." Norma started, before shaking her head in defeat. So he still remembered that, shoot… Those things really did cost a ton, as they were prizes for arena matches. The matches were hard too.

Jay slowly held up a third finger, "And three, Walter and I are going to have a chat tomorrow night, whenever I find the time. You're going to tell him about confessing the entire story to me, and you'll convince him to talk about the situation to me tomorrow night. No fights, no arguments, no running away."

"JJ, I'm all for having him talk with you, but I'm afraid that's going to be near-impossible to do. Having him open up to me is hard enough, and I know he hates you, so a friendly chat between you two is going to be hard to pull off, let alone having him reveal whatever's bothering him."

"If you can't fulfill it, then-" He started, about to get up to go talk to Will.

"Hey, I'm just saying that it's gonna be hard to do. I'll honestly try my best, but I'm not going to fire a Gravity Well at Wally to keep him still enough for you to talk to the guy. I'll try to talk to him, but no guarantees." Norma interrupted him, tugging on his arm and keeping him on the ground. She rubbed her face and let out an exasperated and frustrated sigh. "I didn't think it would be this difficult…"

"You thought solving Walter's problem would be easy?"

"I knew it wasn't going to be easy! I just didn't think that this would get so screwed up." She groaned to herself, clenching her eyes shut to try and relieve herself of the stress. No luck.

Jay gazed down at her and stood up, pulling her up as he went. "C'mon, it's getting late." He said quietly, not appreciating her stress. Then again, she had gotten herself into this mess; she can get herself out. She just needed an extra set of hands helping her.

Norma nodded wearily, rubbing at one of her eyes. "Yeah, I know…" The two saw how late the time was and Jay decided he would contact Will in the morning about their absence. He'd give a little white lie about how she wasn't feeling well, "With stress, mind you. It isn't a lie, just a stretched truth…" She'd stay away until after tomorrow, and then meet up with them again.

"This seems kinda elaborate for a simple meeting, JJ…" Norma said, not fully accepting of his plan.

"It would also explain your strange behavior, if anyone other than myself noticed. You'll also have a day to yourself, be happy about it…" The shinobi seemed pleased with his scheme however, as he wasn't dragging his feet like Norma was.

"Yeah, and I'll spend the entire time trying to get Wally to come down from the roof to talk to you tomorrow night." She reminded him, exasperated.

This seemed to make Jay smile a bit, "That's just part of the fun though." His tone was almost gleeful.

Norma narrowed her eyes at him. "You're enjoying this a little too much, you know that?"

"You brought it onto yourself."

"I know, you keep reminding me!"

x x x

The two eventually reached the inn, their playful bickering echoing in the empty street. Norma yawned loudly, and walked quietly up to the door, turning to wave back at Jay before entering the inn. Quietly stepping up the stairs, she opened her room's door and snuck inside. Closing it, she looked around for any sign of her blond roommate before discovering him in his bed fast asleep. She carefully pulled off her boots and went into the bathroom to slip into an over-sized shirt and a pair of shorts.

Sneaking back out, she approached her bed before hearing a strange sound. She looked over at Walter, who had twisted in his sleep onto his side facing her bed. She began to turn to pull back the covers and climb into her bed before noticing the pained look on his face. …Was he having a nightmare? Norma wondered to herself, though she didn't want to shake him awake in fear he would activate his eres again (it would probably happen anyway, but still)… But still, she didn't want him to suffer from bad dreams; most of the ones she's had weren't very pleasant.

Carefully reaching over to shake his shoulder, he made a murmuring sound in the back of his throat and shifted onto his back, causing Norma to hesitate. Swallowing, she reached out, and for reasons she didn't quite fathom stroked the top of his head instead, smoothing the fine platinum-blond hair. Almost immediately, she snatched her hand back, wanting to smack herself. "What the _hell_ am I doing?" She whispered to herself, shaking her head in embarrassment. Though... she didn't find herself hating the act.

Slowly reaching out, she brushed her hand against his hair, petting the soft bangs between her fingertips. She noticed Wally didn't retaliate violently nor wake. In fact, his form relaxed at her touch, so she continued. Her fingers brushed against the bangs covering his left eye, and she gently pulled it away from his face. The bangs must have just been a hairstyle for him, as the brunette girl found no scars, markings or blemishes of any kind on the other side of his face. If anything, having his hair out of his face for once made him even more attractive. The thought made her cheeks red, and much as she tried to shake it off, the blush wouldn't go away.

The back of Norma's hand brushed against Wally's cheek, and he seemed to lean into her touch, all discomfort from his form having completely disappeared. She knelt by the edge of his bed, not saying a thing but just softly snoozing at the bottom of Lumen Spring.

Norma's face eventually grew a tiny smile she had yet to notice, and she felt a sudden urge to do something… She shook her head when she realized what it was, her flushed face growing redder, but the thought wouldn't go away. She gave in and thought that since he _was_ asleep, and no one else was around, this would be her one moment. Her secret, and hers alone. God help her if he woke up… Although... a small, tiny, _miniscule_ part in the back of her mind wanted him to.

Quiet as a mouse, the brunette cupped a cheek in her hand and bent over his face to lightly brush her lips against the blond's forehead in a ghostly soft kiss. His skin was smooth, and the action made her tingle all over. His face felt warm, and she could swear she saw the slightest lifting of his lips to form a tiny smile. Smiling herself, she forced herself to stand up. After caressing his cheek one last time, she climbed into her own bed, the cold sheets not cooling off her burning and tingling one in the slightest.

Her gaze lingering on the blond's now quietly slumbering form, she closed her eyes as she fell into dreamland. In her chest, unbeknownst to herself just yet, a part of her heart had melted.

x x x

_Aaaaah! A first Wally/Bubbles moment~! Oh, that was my first real dive into romance, and I've been working to try and get that moment between the two for a while. While the moment only lasted for a bit, this ties with the dragon chapter as my favorite chapter… And also, even though this will probably be my last lengthy Legendia fic to the archives (what a tongue-twister), it's by far my favorite~!_

_Anyway, don't think the cute fluff will last long, as there's a shitstorm a-brewing in the next chapter. If anything's off, feel free to comment on it!_

Reviewer Corner

Shiroi Iyasu - Finally? The plot's been going; it's just been going at a slow rate and are moreso mandatory-boring-filler moments than action-y scenes.

WallyxBubbles - Hey, a new reviewer! I... honestly don't know why Wally and Norma seem like an interesting couple, there's just something about them. In my defense, I go for odd crack pairings sometimes, so maybe that's it. I have a bit of an idea about the Fun Bunch but as you've seen, the truth is starting to unravel, and as time goes by more are going to find out. ...Though I haven't really thought about how Grune would react. Heck, she'd probably just be her breezy amnesiatic self like she usually is.  
As for Walter's role... I'm imagining he would have been a sort of courier between Maurits and Shirley, and therefore would also have to deal with the Fun Bunch a lot. And do not worry about my updates: however busy I am, I'll try and update promptly, which is usually 2-3 weeks to make up for my slow writing.


	8. Chapter 8The Little Things Give You Away

_Another day, another sunburn, another chapter. Read on, my pretties...  
_

_Themes: Hurt - Johnny Cash, Eternity ~ Memories of Waves and Light - FFX-2 Piano Collections, The Little Things Give You Away - Linkin Park, mystline - nujabes, Non Je Ne Regrette Rien - Edith Piaf (that one song from Inception_)

_EDIT: (oops, forgot the reviewer corner segment again!)_

* * *

Chapter 8 - The Little Things Give You Away

* * *

Outside of Werites Beacon, the sea began to whip up a strong wind, its breeze carrying into town. The trees leaned to and fro, their branches creaking and leaves rustling. A few citizens had to hold their hats on their heads just to keep them from fluttering away in the strong gust. Because of this, Norma Beatty woke up earlier than usual because the branches of a nearby tree were tapping against the window forcefully. _Tap tap tap._

She slowly groaned and rolled over. "Go 'way… Zzz…" The tapping continued, if not growing stronger. _Tap tap tap... TAP TAP TAP._ She pulled her pillow over her head and growled in drowsy frustration to herself. Still, the taps continued. Finally, the brunette found how futile her efforts were in returning to sleep, and she sat up in bed rubbing her eyes. "Stupid wind…" She muttered quietly to herself.

Looking over at the window for a scrap of paper with Walter's handwriting on it, she was surprised to see none. In fact, the blond Ferines was still in bed, turned away from her on his side and supposedly still asleep. She lifted the covers off of her and spun to stick her skinny legs out to the side of the bed, looking over at his slumbering form.

Most of the covers had slipped to around his stomach, leaving his upper torso and shoulders bare. Getting up, she tip-toed over to peek at his face. Most of his hair had fallen into his face, and he had a bad case of bed-head. ...Again. She giggled and poked him in the shoulder. "Hey sleepy-head, wake up." He shifted slightly, so she kept poking him.

Eventually, Walter's eyes slid open and looked over at her with a lethargic expression. He made a small sound, a question mark seemingly at the end. "Whuh…?"

"C'mon, get up. I still can't believe I woke up before you." Norma chirped, a smile on her face.

He blinked and rolled onto his back, rubbing one of his eyes. "What time is it?"

Norma looked over at the clock across the room. "It's almost eight."

"I slept in…" he commented shortly, sitting up finally and scratching his head. "How did you wake up before me?"

Norma pointed at the window, "It's really windy outside, the dumb tapping woke me up." To prove her point, the branches tapped on the window again.

"Ah." The blond yawned and got out of bed, stretching his arms as he walked over to door where his shoes laid.

"I'm kind of surprised, Wally. Usually I don't see your face in the morning; you're always gone." Norma said, throwing her covers back onto the bed in what, to her at least, looked neat enough to be presentable.

"You're never awake to see me in the mornings, I'm always gone early."

"What time do you leave anyways…?"

He stopped for a moment in thought, "Uh, usually around six-thirty."

Norma paused suddenly, her eyes wide as he continued slipping on his shoes. "Bwuh! Why do you get up so early!"

"I wake up at five-thirty. I leave at six-thirty."

"Don't you ever wake up at a normal time?"

Walter shrugged, "I'm a morning person. I don't like wasting daylight like you Orerines."

Oh, not that again… At least he didn't say it with contempt in his voice. "Again with the whole Orerines thing. It's starting to get old, ya know." Norma pouted, her cheeks puffed up.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. Almost every Ferines I know is a morning person, while Orerines are moreso the type to stay up past midnight. Our clocks are just different." He stood up and looked around in the bathroom for something.

Norma grabbed a change of clothes and called out, "I'm getting dressed, just so you know. Stay in there!" As she pulled off her t-shirt, she said loudly, "I bet you guys like spicy food too, right? Or is it just you?" After pulling on her dress, she paused to see if he would answer. He didn't, so she shrugged and continued, clasping a panel closed and zipping up her collar. She then heard a mumbled reply, and stopped, walking a little closer to the door. "What was that?"

"My mother liked spicy food…" Walter replied quietly, his voice tinged with some emotion she couldn't identify.

_Wait, his mom?_ Norma thought, her interest perked. She hadn't heard anything about his family or his past since finding him at Lumen Spring, so she was quiet and let him continue.

"I got it from her. She used to make curry all the time, so spicy it was a hazard to anyone who tried it." A long pause. "I loved it though... even if she couldn't cook to save her life…" She heard how strained his voice was, and slowly peeked in through the doorway, her bare feet cooled by the wooden floorboards. He stood in front of the mirror, his hands on the counter and staring down at the sink. His fingers tightly clutched the edges of the white porcelain, and his blond hair fell into his face, obscuring her view.

Norma hesitated, then quietly approached him and stood next to him. She gazed down at his hands, so tense they were shaking, and gently covered one with her own hand. He flinched, looking over at her with stormy eyes, almost accusing her of being there. She looked down at the sink, avoiding the heavy emotion in his gaze.

She took her hand away and started to back out of the room, but a cool hand caught her wrist. She twisted her head around and stared at the Ferines, her meek eyes staring back at her in the mirror behind him. The blond opened his mouth, but seemed to second-guess his train of thought and closed it again. He let her wrist slip from his fingers and his arm fell to his side, his face twisted away from her.

Norma found her voice in the thick tension and quietly asked, "Wally…?" Ice-blue eyes flicked back at her. "Are you… ok?"

Walter looked at her for a long time, then turned his head away quickly, but not so quick she didn't see a look of heartache pass across his face. He slowly shook his head, blond locks shifting in front of his face.

Norma didn't seem like the type, but she knew that expression well enough to know what it was. Grief. A sadness so strong, it was only attributed to a death of a loved one. She knew because she's felt it before, a year or so ago, when she received news that her teacher Sven passed away. Without hesitating, she took a few steps and locked her arms around Walter's torso in a hug, her face burrowed in his shoulder. He was tense, trembling slightly, and smelled like rain.

The blond tensed even more and looked down at her, her face hidden in his black shirt. The blond felt his eyes beginning to water, and shook away the feeling. Biting his lip, he wrapped a single arm around her back and leaned his forehead against her head, closing his eyes.

The two people stayed like that for moments, minutes, the time seemed to tick by unseen. The only real change were Norma's feet growing tired, and Walter having a hard time trying to keep emotions under control by taking deep steady breaths. In this time, the wind blew harder, and the tapping grew more furious and out-of-control.

The moment between the two was shattered by the sound of broken glass. The two jumped, and like a bullet, the blond had skidded out of the bathroom, his arm on the door frame to find out what the sound was.

The wind, it turned out, had grown so powerful that the branch had crashed into the glass with such ferocity it shattered. The screaming howl of the wind outside exploded in the room. Norma ran out of the bathroom and looked at the window with a startled expression on her face. Walter was quick to recover and rushed over by the window, pulling their belongings over to the far side of the room, his glass crackling under his feet. Norma, having no boots on, could cover her face against the wind blowing into the room, the papers on the desk fluttering away and the curtains straining against the hooks.

As the blond came back for another trip, his fingers grabbed a small battered notebook only to have the wind rip it from his hands, the volume falling out of the window and to the grass below. "No, my notebook!" Norma cried, and began to run over to the window, ignoring that she hadn't any shoes on and that her feet were likely to be ripped apart.

Walter was quick to grab her wrist and pull her back, "Are you forgetting you don't have any shoes and that we're two stories up? Calm down!" He tried to keep a hold on her, but she thrashed in his grip enough that she had freed herself.

"No, I have to get my notebook! It's my only-" A howl drowned out the last of her words as she turned for the door. Running at a sprint, she pulled the door open with difficulty, trotting down the stairs as the wind pushed the room's door shut with a room-shaking slam. She heard her name being called behind her, but didn't pay any attention to it. The blond wasn't far behind her, as he leapt down the staircase three at a time, while she had already been opening the door outside. The innkeeper yelled at her to stay inside, but she ignored it as she unlatched the door, the wood flying open and the breeze rushing inside, blowing papers everywhere.

Norma covered her eyes as the gale beat at them and whipped her hair and dress around. The wind was ripping the leaves off of the trees, fences fell over and a tree had fallen near the item-shop; a full-blown hurricane was occurring right before her eyes. She carefully walked towards the back of the building, the wind blowing her towards the back. She screamed as a branch narrowly fell in front of her, and she turned around it and found the back. She looked around the glass-covered yard, and saw her Relares notebook bouncing away from the area, right towards the canal.

With no thought to her safety, only for her one possession that was left from her mentor, she dashed across the grass, adrenaline pulsing through her veins. She flinched just barely at the stabbing pain of glass shards piercing the soles of her feet, but all of her attention had been given to her most prized possession, being lost and destroyed in the frothy water. Leaping in the air, she pounced on the little book, her hands clutching it tightly. She nearly cheered in triumph, if not for the fact that the powerful wind was slowly pushing her towards the canal.

She tried to turn, but when she tried to stand up, the wind pushed her backwards. When she put her hand down on top of the book, the notebook was nearly ripped from her hand. She was trapped…

Norma saw a blond form looking around the corner of the building, who ran and slid towards her. Walter's expression was furious and worried, and he tried to yell something berating, but the howling squall made them disappear. Growling to himself, the Ferines wrapped an arm around her waist and tried to stand up, but no avail. He tried to crawl away or get to cover, but every time he tried, the wind pushed them back. If they fell into the canal, the whipped water would drown a normal person, and Walter didn't come back to life just to let someone be killed on his watch. Left with only one decision, and probably a very bad one at that, the blond let out his black wings and hoped to Nerifes that whatever he thought would happen, wouldn't.

Nearly immediately afterwards, he and Norma were launched backwards, her piercing and fearful scream so loud he had heard it even over the howling gale. Trying to steady himself, the wind didn't let up a bit, and the two flew backwards. Walter tried to look behind them, but his wings were practically parachutes that caught the wind in the perfect way. The two flew for what seemed like eons, but what in reality was only around around ten seconds.

The so-called joyride ended with a very abrupt stop, when their feet crashed into a fence, smashing it and twirling them around, followed by the blond's back slamming into the face of a stone wall with a loud crack. It felt like a gaet had punched him: all of the air rushed out of his lungs, and he couldn't breathe. His vision blurred, and began to darken at the edges, and a shooting pain ran through his chest. Looking over to one side, he saw that they had crashed into the side of a house, and the door was mere feet away.

The two slid to the ground, and slowly began to make their way to the door. Norma noticed the blond's eyes closing, or was that the wind, and doubled her efforts, her feet crying from the shards still stuck in them. She found the door latch and pried it open with his help. When it was open, the two jumped inside as the door slammed shut again.

Norma fell to the ground, exhausted and out of breathe, clutching her notebook to her chest with one arm and holding herself up with the other. Walter slowly slid to the ground, wheezing and gasping for breathe while clutching at his side. Norma suddenly noticed the inside of the house's interior. Wait a minute… Elaborate furniture, plants everywhere, oriental carpets, huge staircase. This was Granny Musette's house!

As the adrenaline slowed down, her heart slowed and her senses came back to earth. A stabbing sensation stung her feet all over, she was more tired that she should have been that early in the morning, and she heard the gulping gasps of air the Ferines was trying to take in. She turned, and saw him hunched over, wheezing and trembling. The back of his head had slammed into the stone so hard that it had injured the back of his head, blood trickling down his forehead and dripping onto the wooden floors.

"What's going on…? Miss Beatty?" A voice called from the top of the stairs. Norma looked up and saw an elderly lady with a pink gown and a surprised expression stare down at them, holding what looked like a novel in her hands. Norma gulped as the woman looked to the wheezing blond man beside her, then back to her. "You can heal him, can't you?"

Norma started, "O-oh… Yeah, right!" She quickly put a hand to his chest and performed a simple healing spell, her fingers glowing yellow with the color of her eres. His breathing eased up shortly afterwards, and she would have worked on his forehead next if Musette hadn't mentioned something rather important.

"I hope you don't mind me asking… But why were you out in that hurricane... and are those wings?" She said this almost innocently, slowly walking down the stairs as she spoke.

Norma started, her eyes flying to his back. The glowing wings of a deep black-violet color fluttered weakly, but were still there none-the-less. Walter seemed to sense that his wings were still out and felt someone's gaze, as they vanished soon after. He sat up and locked eyes with the old women, the blood which stained his platinum-blond hair giving his eyes even more intensity. "Erm, well… You see, Granny Musette, I…" Norma stuttered, scared that yet another person had found out about Walter's appearance with her.

Her eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled. "Norma, would this happen to be the young man named Walter that Will told me about?"

The Ferines froze in place at the sound of his name, the urge to activate his eres coming out of instinct. He tried to stand, but a bolt of pain ran up his side and he fell back to his knees with a small gasp.

Musette walked up to the two battered young adults and dug in her pocket for something. Pulling out a small folded handkerchief, she handed it to Walter with a smile, "Here, you can use it to stem the bleeding on your head." The blond almost seemed confused on what to do, the puzzlement clear on his face as he slowly pulled it from her outstretched fingers and placed it against his head. Musette turned to look behind her, then looked back at them, "Well, you two look a bit battered, so why don't you join me for some tea."

She walked towards another room, most likely the kitchen, and the two looked at each other. Norma nearly laughed at the mystified expression on the blond's face, as if he had been encountered by an alien from outer space who had offered him something to eat. …Which is practically what happened, really. She stifled a giggle and lifted him by his arm, who's owner hissed in pain and kneeled back down. She huffed, "Come on, you won't get better like that."

He gritted his teeth, growling in pain as she lifted him up by his shoulders and helped him walk with one of his arms around her shoulders. "I can't… Rgh, help it…!" He gritted out, closing his eyes against waves of pain and dizziness as they walked. The pain in his chest had to have come from broken ribs; he recognized the feeling.

The two made their way to the dining room, where Musette had laid out a little tray with cups of steaming tea, plates of scones or cookies, and a bowl of chocolates on a little table near some white loveseats. Man, how did she set all of that up so fast? Norma thought as the elderly women offered them a smile and gestured to the comfortable-looking seats. "Please do sit down."

"Erm.. Won't I…?" Walter started to say, looking at the expensive-looking chairs cautiously, feeling completely out of place and awkward with this friendly old women.

She must have realized her loveseats would be badly stained because of his bleeding head, "Oh, I'm so sorry, it slipped my mind. Norma, would you please fetch a wet towel from the kitchen please?" The brunette seemed to notice, and led him over to a not nearly as expensive-looking dining room chair, then left in a brisk walk towards the kitchen.

To say that Walter felt uncomfortable was an understatement. He felt entirely exposed under her friendly gaze, and the fact that she seemed entirely honest and trusting made things even worse.

Musette must have sensed his uneasiness, as she gave a little laugh. "Oh, please don't feel so uncomfortable, I don't bite."

He jumped and a blush spread across his cheeks, making him try to shrink in on himself in embarrassment. Nerifes, it was like he was a kid again, being manhandled by a crowd of elderly women calling him cute. It was humiliating! Just in time, Norma limped in, carrying a few towels, some wet and some not, and a pair of long tweezers. She plopped down on the armchair next to the chair, and handed him a towel, who busied himself mopping the blood off of his face.

Musette looked at the bottoms of Norma's bleeding feet and gasp, "Gracious, how did your feet get so cut up?"

Norma gave a small laugh at her expense, "Aha… Well, I had run over some glass. I guess I didn't notice until now." She set out a dry towel under her feet and taking a quick slurp of the tea, began to pull out the tiny shards.

Musette took a cup of the tea for herself and took a dainty sip, "Speaking of which, I'm rather curious about how the two of you had gotten here… Especially you, young man. I hear you've been causing trouble with Curtis and Isabella."

Walter looked towards the floor as Norma switched between looking at the blond and the older woman, "Wait, you mean the BB's? What happened with them?"

"Bit of a long story." The blond replied quietly.

"I'm sure we have time… Looking at the storm outside, I'm guessing that it would be too dangerous to go outside for quite a while." Musette commented as the blond hesitantly took the cup of tea and tasted it. Hmm, tastes like chai…

Norma suddenly realized something, "Wait a minute, is Shirley over here right now?" Walter choked on his tea, eyes wide.

"No, she and your other friends went out early this morning. I hear they went on a field trip of sorts with Harriett." She noted, and the blond visibly relaxed, sitting back and sipping some more of the warm drink. Setting down her tea, she folded her hands on her lap and began speaking. "But I am wondering your story, you two. As much as I trust you Norma, I do not know anything about you, sir. I wouldn't like to favor you negatively for first impressions, so would you please tell me why you were in Werites Beacon the last few days?"

Norma and Walter looked at each other, exchanging looks. Norma gave him a questioning glance and he took one hand off of his cup to wave his hand. "Go ahead, she'd know if we were lying anyway."

A light laugh, "Sir, you give me too much credit!"

"Please, just Walter is fine. Mrs.…"

"Call me Madam Musette, if you please."

x x x

Over the course of a few hours, both Norma and Walter, though moreso the former, retold their tale beginning with Lumen Spring and all the way to them arriving at her home. They, of course, excluded a few parts, such as Norma meeting with Jay the night before and Walter's feelings on the whole endeavor. However, the two shared just as much information as Norma had with the information dealer. After a few hours, the tea had been drank (and replaced with two more kettles of tea), the blood on both the blond's head and the brunette's feet had dried and been cleaned off, and the two were now sitting next to each other on the loveseat (much more comfortable than the dining room chairs.

Currently, Norma was eating all of the scones and cookies that Madam Musette put onto her plate, while Walter had drank at least four cups of tea, and feeling more comfortable around the older women. Apparently, either chai tea made the Ferines man more sociable, or the older woman was very pleasant to be around. …For an Orerines, at least.

Musette pondered all that they have told her, which seemed to lift a great weight off of their shoulders in having a wise adult to confess their problems to. She clapped her hands together and announced, "Well, since the window of your room at the inn was destroyed by the winds, it will take a little while for them to be fixed. In the meanwhile, you can stay here. While I only have two guest rooms, would I be correct in guessing that you wouldn't mind sharing a room with Shirley, Norma?"

Norma nodded, and Walter took another sip of his fifth cup. "Sure, that sounds great, Granny Musette. Thanks for dealing with us!"

The blond nodded in agreement to her statement, then set his cup down and looked behind him, "It sounds like the wind has died down a bit…"

Musette shook her head, "Sadly, it is probably just the eye of the storm. I'm sure we will hear howling winds outside in a little bit."

Walter shook his head, "I haven't experienced a hurricane on the Legacy before. Are the common?"

"No, they aren't, actually. The Legacy sails through a region fraught with storms once in a while, but this is the first that has been this destructive. A shame too… It will take a lot of work to get Werites Beacon back to its former glory." She shook her head. "Anyway, enough of that. I have a library upstairs if you would like to research something, Walter… But for right now, I'm going to show the two of you your rooms upstairs." The three stood up, one with help from his roommate, and they climbed the spacious staircase upstairs. The two were shown the two rooms, and Walter just decided to go grab a bunch of books and hang out in his room while Norma checked out the library.

A few hours later, she was browsing a few titles on Rexalian history when suddenly a thought came to her. JJ. He was going to try to talk to Wally tonight, and she had completely forgotten to tell him about it. Noted, he couldn't really move around, but still, he'd hate her for it. She then decided to ask for advice from Granny Musette, who she found downstairs watering the wide variety of houseplants she owned. "Granny Musette… Can I ask you something?"

She turned, "Certainly Norma, what is it?"

Norma hesitated, but voiced her concerns to the older women, "Well… You're not the only one I've told this to. I also told everything to JJ."

"Ah yes, the young man who lives with the Oresoren, correct?"

She bit her lip. "Yeah, him… Thing is, I agreed that I'd have Wally talk to him about our whole situation, but Wally doesn't know about my telling him, and he _hates_ the guy, nearly as much as Senny."

She watered a particular large palm then placed the watering can onto the ground. "My, that is a problem."

"And I don't want him to hate me for going behind his back about something, not to mention he doesn't like anyone, really, so… I'm kinda lost on what to do." Norma wrung her hands in front of her, staring at her bare, and now healed, feet.

Musette faced her and gave her a sad smile, "Walter has a hard time trusting other people, doesn't he?" Norma nodded, and the older women let out a small sigh, "I had a feeling, from his behavior when you first arrived. He was so uncomfortable around me, he seemed like a little fawn…"

Norma couldn't help but chuckle at the image, "Well, I'm not sure that a fawn is the right word to describe him." More like a very temperamental cat that likes water... And could fly.

"Usually it would be because of a traumatic event in the past, but as he is a Ferines, I can understand why he would be so untrusting around Orerines…" She paused, then gave Norma a kind smile, "But he trusts you."

Norma looked up at her with raised eyebrows. "Wait, he does?"

"Why else would he tell you all of his concerns, ask for your help, and even to save you from a painful injury from the hurricane?"

"Wait, you mean us crashing into the wall of your house?"

"I heard it from upstairs, dear."

Norma rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, he did tell me something else…" Musette gave her a puzzling expression, and she continued hesitantly, "Before the window broke and my notebook flew out the window, he… talked about his mom. It wasn't much, but he mentioned how she made spicy food even though she couldn't cook to…" It suddenly dawned on her, and she held her hands to her mouth in shock. "You mean…?"

Musette nodded sadly, "Yes, I think he's so cold because he lost his mother at a young age, most likely because of the wars on the mainland."

"That's…" Norma trailed off, imagining how she felt when Sven passed away. If someone had killed him, she would have been pretty bitter too. "That would explain why he hates Orerines more than most... At least, from the Ferines people I've met."

"I can't really give you any advice other than, be honest with him and yourself. But I wouldn't dawdle on telling him either." Musette said finally, and seemed to push her to the stairs.

Norma walked halfway up the stairs, then looked back at the older women. Musette simply smiled mysteriously, and made a gesture that she should continue up the stairs. The brunette smiled, and continued upstairs. Hopefully, he wouldn't blow up in her face about it.

x x x

_Well, all of this chapter came out in one go, out of complete inspiration and no planning ahead. I was honestly not planning to bring Madam Musette into this, as Shirley would be the next to discover Norma's secret, but it worked out in the end. I'll just try to continue with this train of thought and bang out another chapter or so._

_Also, hoped you enjoyed the fan service at the beginning of the chapter, though it was also a chance to bring in the mention of Walter's mother. I don't think that the reason he hated the Orerines so much was just because of general-Ferines dislike and his jealousy of Senel, so I introduced a 'what-if' scenario. Long story short, his village was attacked when he was out in the woods playing as a kid, and when he came back everyone was either gone or dead. His mom was one of the missing ones, and even though he looked around for a few years, she vanished without a trace… Rest of his back-story to be mentioned some other time, methinks.  
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Reviewer Corner

Shiroi Iyasu: I kind of thought that it was a bit odd for Jay not to find out as well... But he didn't get nearly as many opportunities to because of Walter. I'd like to think that after 3 years of passing off as an Orerines on the Legacy and perhaps the mainland as well, and spying for Maurits, that he had learned to cover his tracks pretty well. And I'm glad you liked that little moment!

Pandiita: Another new reviewer~! Really, I felt my head swelling from all of your compliments! (And I'm sympathetic about your staying up late, or at least trying, because the story was so good: I do the same thing all the time... Up to around 4-5, actually.) And as for you being excited for the fic, well... I can't say I didn't squee a bit. This is pretty much the reason I write, and your review is probably the thing that broke my writer's block. I'm really glad to have you around for the story, and I'll try and keep up the quality of it!_  
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	9. Chapter 9: Fix You

_Alas, now the forecast is for shitstorms. Unfortunately, the hurricane is still going on, so setting is still gonna be Musette's house. This was a particularly hard chapter to write, eugh... I'm still second-guessing myself about it, but _c'est la vie_... Enjoy.  
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_Themes are: The Scientist - Coldplay, Fix You - Coldplay, Seijaku wa Headphones no Naka - SEE-SAW_

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Chapter 9: Fix You

* * *

At this point in time, Walter was sitting up, his back propped against a pillow and looking through a text on the scientific notion of death. So far, he hadn't found anything relatively interesting about the subject, save for how many fatal points there were and where the major arteries were located. Who knows, maybe he could use the info in a slightly-sadistic way against Senel at some point. Other than that though, nothing.

The blond shifted slightly and he winced at the throbbing that spread throughout his chest and was running laps along his spine. Anyone would have been injured by crashing into a wall at that speed, the blond thought to himself, but it didn't change the fact that it had happened to him and it had _hurt._ He gingerly felt along his right side and felt a sharp sting in his chest. So, he had broken a few ribs… Well, he's had worse.

Closing the heavy book, Walter looked out a window and watched the howling gale continue to shake the trees and whip up a fury. Looked like the storm wasn't going to let up for a while… Now what was he supposed to do for the next few hours, or days?

Something rapped on the door a few times, and he responded, "Yeah?"

"It's me, Wally; open up!" Norma's voice answered back, her voice muffled through the door.

Perfect opportunity. "It's open…" He flipped open the book to a random page in false interest as Norma entered, still barefoot. She had her hands tucked behind her back, and her hair was in a wild tangled mess from the weather this morning. The Ferines had no real right to complain about his appearance, as he probably looked just as bad.

"So what 'cha reading?"

"Nothing much, just trying to find some information on something, which none of these books had." He replied, before flipping a page. His eyes caught that the next page contained something about strange rituals of the Orerines race, specifically about cannibalism. He turned the page to a different section almost immediately. "So, you came in here for something, what is it?"

"What's what?" Norma replied, hesitating on answering his question. She knew she was just prolonging the inevitable, but Wally was scaaary when he was mad…

The blond rolled his eyes, "Whatever thing you have to tell me. It isn't hard to see that you're fidgeting about something, so spit it out already."

Norma bit her lip, and blurted, "Aren't you still injured from when we were blown around outside and crashed into the house?" She held her breathe and smacked herself mentally. She was procrastinating again…

He didn't respond except for a surprised expression at her outburst. "…That wasn't what I expected to hear, but yes."

"Well… I can tell you while I heal you, right? I mean, what I was gonna tell you anyway but I remembered that you're still hurt so I thought…" She uncharacteristically stumbled over her words.

Walter waved a hand, "Quit mumbling, you can tell me." He took one look at her face and paused. "…It's serious, isn't it?" Norma nodded once, and a small sigh escaped his lips. "It isn't going to get any better hesitating, Beatty."

Norma nodded, and paused for a moment, "…Erm, your side, right?" A nod was what she needed. He turned, pain noticeable in his stiff posture as she touched his ribs lightly, her hands began to glow. "So… You know when JJ arrived and we went to go meet with Teach and the others, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, he… …Kinda figured it out." A muffled curse escaped his mouth and a few of the books tumbled to the floor without him really noticing. She clenched her eyes shut, "I'm sorry! He just figured out because of how weird the circumstances were and everything. Plus he… saw your cloak on the bed."

"Figures. That brat is too observant for his own good…" Walter replied, his tone already annoyed. One, even two extra people knowing about their little secret was bad enough. Adding one more made it worse, not even counting it was the dagger-happy, overly-nosy ninja.

"Well, and he would know if I was lying, so I had no choice to tell him everything- He was gonna tell everybody, Wally, I can't let him do that!" She interrupted before he had a chance to speak. "So anyway, after I told him the stuff, he'd keep it a secret under three conditions…" She paused as her eyes focused on her fingertips, working up a little bit of bravery in her next lines.

"…Well? What were they?" His tone was sharp and impatient, not a good sign.

Norma swallowed and continued. "Well… The first one was to keep him in touch with everything else that goes on. The second was to repay him that elixir I borrowed from him."

"Do you have a debt with everyone, Beatty?" He asked, snaky humor not as present in his voice.

Norma purposely ignored that question (in fact, she owed JJ an elixir, Teach some money, and Senel a few days of dinner from the restaurant) and continued on with the last one. "And the last condition… He wanted me to tell you this, and have you meet up with him and tell him your side of the story-"

"I'm not telling that pint-sized kid anything." He replied, with an angry tone to match.

Norma's first aid spell fizzled and disappeared as her concentration was distracted by their discussion. "Wally, I couldn't say no; he would have told everyone! I just couldn't-"

"You could have stayed quiet about it! You didn't have to tell him anything and it would have been fine!" He snapped back, standing with difficulty and turning to look at her with blazing eyes.

"JJ didn't give me any choice! He would have retold _everything_; they would all see that I've been lying about you and everything else-" Norma argued back, desperate to get a handle on the conversation before things got worse.

"So what? It isn't like lying is a rare occurrence in this age."

"Oh like you're one to talk!" Norma finally snapped back, her temper flaring as well. "You rarely tell me anything, and when those tiny things happen, you're so secretive and mysterious about it that only a genius would be able to figure out those riddles!"

"I have reasons for keeping things like those a secret, which could jeopardize everything! For that matter-" He growled, and went on to make another point when Norma continued with her little tirade.

"Jeopardize _what? _What's so important that you have to go out late at night searching for _something_, being moody and secretive, having dizzy spells for no reason, keeping secrets from everyone, keeping secrets from _me! _What is so important that you can't let me help?" She yelled, letting out all of her angers, concerns and questions all in one go.

"In case you haven't noticed Beatty, _I DIED!" _Walter's roaring outburst of anger made his eres flare around his fingers, violet light dimming to a state that barely simmered in his hands. "The only reason why I'm here is to fix something that I should have done before I died, and I'm trying to figure out what and how before my time ticks out and I go back to becoming _a lifeless corpse_! Who knows, maybe I can fail at that little trivial task on record time, then I can be out of _your_ life for good!" The light kept threatening to burst out again, and his fingers clenched trying to keep his eres at bay.

Norma stood stunned, her eyes flickering from his enraged face to his convulsing powers trying to escape his grasp like his temper did. ". . . . . ." She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came to mind. What could she say? He had blurted out why he was keeping a secret from her, but their argument had been so severe that she wouldn't have been surprised if it severed any trust he had put into her. "W… Wally, I…"

Angry as he was, the blond made a move towards her and opened his mouth to yell something else, but stopped. As he had reached out to grab her wrist, the brunette had quickly backed away from his reach towards the entrance of the room, wide eyes locked on his still-glowing fingers. He noticed her gaze, and the light of his eres began to dissipate. He began to say something when Norma started first.

"I… I'm sor… ry." She answered quietly, her head bent slightly as her eyes began to fill without her consent. "I… If I had known that you…" Clasping her hands for a moment, she stood in the doorway, small and quiet and timid.

A moment or so passed, and the blond felt his anger slipping away. He didn't mean to... He opened his mouth to ask her something, "Beatty-" But the moment he had said her name, she turned and bolted out of the room, footsteps echoing through the hall.

Walter made to follow her and took a step, but not two steps from where he started, his foot stepped on the back cover of a slick-covered paperback. The book slid across the floor and out from beneath his foot. Without his usual balance with his injury, he fell to the floor and onto his side with a large thud and a small crack.

Immediately, an intense stabbing pain jolted through his chest, and he choked out a yelp of pain. Gasping, he felt another sharp jab, and it cut his breath short. He couldn't breathe without the stabbing agony ripple through his chest. A tickling feeling in the back of his throat made him cough, despite the pain it took to gasp for air. Covering his mouth with a hand, he hacked until he wheezed with effort. Even before he could see the red splotches on his palm he could taste the familiar taste of blood in his mouth.

Walter gripped his chest where the stabbing pain had occurred, and felt the irregular bump along his side where there shouldn't have been bone, and a soft area where there should have been. Nerifes damn it all…

He coughed some more, body trembling as his punctured lungs fought to get air into his system. He wiped a small bead of blood from his lips, and struggled to try and lift himself from the ground. The dull pain in his chest made it difficult to move, but if he had fought Senel in as bad as shape as this, he could certainly take some abuse now. To think... given a nigh-mortal injury from a _book_. Hell never hear the end of it if any others got wind of that.

After agonizing minutes ticked by, he was eventually leaning against a wardrobe, fighting back the sensation to cough up more blood that tickled his throat. He knew he would bleed out internally if he didn't get healed quickly, likely within the hour, and his only source of first aid in this storm was the brunette girl that was likely crying in her room because of him.

...Damn it.

Clutching the side of the large piece of furniture, he gradually walked to the doorway, and tried to remember which room in the huge house that Norma was likely to be in.

x x x

Norma lay in the corner of Shirley's room, on the extra bed and clutching her Relares notebook to her chest. Large watery tears fell from her eyes as she bent over and stifled her crying. Now she knew why he had appeared onto the Legacy... and it made so much sense that she could have laughed. Really, it was such a typical love story or something like that: a person dies and becomes a ghost, only allowed rest when their unfinished business was completed. Only, Wally was a live person, and whom apparently had an expiration date.

She wasn't stupid; she knew why the Ferines had refused to speak with her on the matter. It was just like the butterfly effect: step on a butterfly in the past, and you wipe out an entire ecosystem in the future. Or better yet, have someone save one butterfly, only for another large group of butterflies to suddenly keel over because of the saved one. If he had told her what his plans were, it could have been possible to avoid said-event and botch up his plans for resurrection completely. No wonder he wanted to keep it for himself and searched for rumors, and staying in contact with as few people as possible.

It made her want to cry even more with the realization that in having him answer her one question she had kept badgering about, she had started a huge argument. She told JJ everything about him, and he probably lost what little trust he had in her, which made it even worse. She clutched her notebook harder to her chest as large tears trailed down her face.

If only you were here, Teacher… You'd know the right thing to do.

She continued crying for a while, until after a while, she heard a strange thudding noise on her door. Thinking it was Wally coming in to yell at her, she called out thickly, "Go away!"

A heavy wheeze made her pause, head turned towards the door to try and hear it better. "Beatty… Are... you in there…?" It was Wally alright, but he didn't sound at all angry. In fact, he sounded… worried? Desperate?

Her curiosity made her speak again, clearing her throat beforehand. "What do you want?" She wiped away the tears on her face as a short silence took precedence.

When he had answered again, it was accompanied with a hacking cough, and a weak reply. "I… need a bit of help... Can you come out…?"

Help…? If he just wanted to be healed then he could wait until the storm passed, then he could limp over to the store and get his own! But… He sounded… weak? Wally didn't try to sound pathetic when he wanted something, so something strange must have occurred. Wiping her face again, her curiosity was enough to get her to put down her notebook and walk to the door. Hesitating and taking a calming breath, she slowly opened it.

Walter stood in front of her… No, stood wasn't the correct word. He leaned against the doorframe in front of her, hand clutching his chest and taking in short breaths as if he had run a small marathon. She piqued her head at him, and asked, "What's up…" She started, but soon saw some of the other symptoms present. His face was paler than usual, his forehead had a slight sheen of sweat on it and his expression was pained.

"...Hey." He managed to quietly say, turning his head to look over at her. When he did, she saw his normally stormy blue eyes were dull, struggling to focus on one thing.

"Wally, what's wrong?" Norma asked, reaching out to touch his arm. He opened his mouth to say something, but launched into a coughing fit, his entire body trembling as he suddenly sank to the wooden floor. She quickly kneeled beside him and held him by the shoulders, eyes wide and confused from his sudden change in health. "Wally!" His hacking subsided, voice rasping. Beads of blood covered his lips as he wheezed, the largest one sliding down and dripping off of his chin, leaving a bright red line in its place.

Norma's heart fell into the pit of her stomach at the sight of blood. What had happened to him? She had only been gone around ten minutes or so. "Wally, what's going on!" Her voice was frantic and confused.

Walter's eyes finally focused at the sound of her voice and the sensations of her fingers caressing his shoulders, "Nn… Norma?" He rasped out quietly. His body seemed so in pain that his mind was fuzzy from the coughing fit. It was hard to think…

"Yeah yeah, it's me. Now what happened to you?" She asked, her voice high-pitched and panicky.

His mind became clear again, and he tried to speak without straining his lungs, "You ran out and I was going after you. …I slipped on a book, fell on my side. The crash from the storm, it… broke some ribs... They punctured one of my lungs." His voice was clear, but wavered between a normal volume and a quiet one. The blond frowned suddenly, seemingly displeased about something. "...Feel free to laugh." He added in that familiar snarky tone.

Norma felt her insides go cold at his words, and swallowed hard. "It's ok now, Wally. I'll heal you; you'll be fine in no time!" She fought to put a hopeful smile on her face, while trying not to think about consequences. She wasn't as experienced in healing as Shirley… If only she were here.

She wrapped an arm around his back and struggled to try and lift him to his feet. His eyes clenched shut as he gritted his teeth in pain. "Come on, get up… Agh!" He was practically dead weight in his condition! Norma panted and set him down for a moment. "Wait here, I'll be back; I have to go get Granny's help." Ripping herself from his crumpled form, she flew down the stairs and searched for the older woman's help.

Looking all around the area, she couldn't find her anywhere. Calling out constantly, Norma found a neatly-written note on the dining room table: _"There's an important matter I need to go take care of immediately. I'll be back in 2 hours. Madam Musette." _Son of a flippin' purple weasel, this was the absolute worst time for her to leave for something!

She bolted back up the stairs and back to the fallen Ferines, who was as still as he had been before. She came back and shook him, "Musette isn't here, You gotta help me a little, Wally!" His eyes opened again, dazed-looking. His condition was scaring her. She patted the side of his face, "C'mon, wake up." He blinked a few times, and simply nodded. With much difficulty, the two had gotten to their feet, and Norma was guiding him along the hallways to the spare bedroom. The brunette's heart sank every time she saw a few brownish-red drops that had splashed onto the floor earlier.

The two entered the bedroom, and Walter collapsed on the bed as soon as they had gotten there. Norma flipped him onto his back, trying to keep him awake as long as possible. "Where's the injury, Wally?" She saw his eyes closing, and rushed to cup his face, "Come on, stay awake for me, please."

Walter's eyes opened again, and they widened slightly through the haze his mind was in at how close her worried face was to his. "...Right side." He took one of her hands and guided it across his chest to the spot where the missing bone had stabbed him.

Norma felt a slight smile tug at her lips, and began to use the strongest first aid spell she knew on him. She had all of her concentration going into her spell, she almost didn't catch what he had said a minute or so later. "What was that, sorry?"

His eyes were closed, breathing quick breaths and his face so devoid of color his hair looked a pure yellow in comparison. His lips opened again and quietly said, "No…"

"No? For what?"

His bue eyes opened slightly, staring up at the ceiling with a strange expression on his face. "Your question… That one night…" He took a deep shuddering breath and winced as he clutched his chest again, his cool hand on top of her fingers and lightly pressing against them as if it would stem the bleeding inside his ribcage. "You asked whether or not… I wanted the… cataclysm to happen… again… Answer's… no."

Norma stood quiet, her healing continuing as she thought over his words in shock. …He didn't want it to happen…? Wally had really changed that much, so much that he had thrown out his old views on the Orerines as worthless scum that deserved to be exterminated? Norma couldn't believe it. She feel a warmth spread through her body at the thought of how much he had changed, that the "fanatic Ferines" views he used to have had been changed for the better. If it hadn't been for their situation, she would have been giddy.

Looking back down at the blond below her, she noticed he had fallen unconscious, and her healing wasn't done yet. "Oh no..."She whispered to herself, a cold feeling of dread washing over her. "No no no no no." She kept one hand on his chest and used the other to smooth his hair, pat his face, shake him, "Don't fall asleep, Wally, _please_ don't fall asleep... No no no no _NO_! _Wake up!_" No response.

The crystal eren placed her other hand onto his chest and push all of the first aid spells she could into him, feeling her mana being depleting at a rapid speed. "Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up!" Her head bent over, water began to seep from her eyes at the unpleasant thoughts running through her head. He couldn't leave… He couldn't just go away and die on her, not like her Teacher had. He had changed… He _changed_; that was worth something, wasn't it...!

Images of the memories she had of him came to mind, both his lives running through her head on fast-forward. The first time she had seen him in the Underground Tunnel, himself in Ferines garb before the Bridge, the Mirage Palace, the Wings of Light, their meeting at Lumen Spring, the dizzy spells, healing his wound from the dragon, the laughs and jokes, quieting his nightmares late that one night, comforting him in his memories, saving her in the middle of a hurricane, taking a blow into a wall for her, his answer of _"No"_…

"I won't let you die, Wally! Not in a million years!" Norma announced, tears streaming down her face as her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt tightly. "You're… important to me. You're a friend, whether you like it or not!" Her voice broke as she sobbed the next few lines. "E-even… the Everlight… My dream… My t-teacher's dream; our dream… It's only an object, a thing. Y-you're a person, living and breathing… Like h-him… A-and… _And I don't want you to leave me either!_"

She places all of the mana she could into her techniques, so much her body glowed a bright yellow like it did in the Wings of Light. So much she ran out of it, and kept on going without noticing the drain it was taking from herself. So much, that a bright flash of eres-powered light filled the room for a few seconds before slowly fading. Norma's eyes closed against their will, and she fell to the floor unconscious.

x x x

_At any rate, don't be too concerned; she's fine. Overuse of TP takes away from HP, and KO's them with enough for life functions. As for Walter… You'll have to check in next chapter to see if he made it. (Really, would I kill him off though? He's suffered enough, don't you think?)_

Reviewer Corner

**Shiroi Iyasu**: Filler-ish? I was hoping it didn't seem that way, what with the slight fanservice in the beginning... But don't worry about Shirley, she'll be popping up next chapter.

**Pandiita**: Wow, long review... And please, much as I love anyone reading my fic I'd prefer you not become an addict over it: it'll be harder for you when I finish it! ^^;

As for Walter's backstory I always imagined (whether it was confirmed or not, I don't know) that he was appointed as the bodyguard of the Merines from his village elder since he was a kid, like Shirley was destined to be the Merines. Then Senel comes along and takes that away with his friendship with Shirley. I imagine he would get a bit touchy about that. And like you said, I always felt that there was something else besides his job fueling his anger towards the Orerines... Thus, the whole thing with his mom and village: I saw him as just another unfortunate Ferines who got the bad end of the stick like Fenimore and so many others. And I love that you prefer my point of view, so do I~! XD But really, I'm just using logic to fill in plotholes.__

As for Norma and her feet... Well, that was an error on my part. I was writing that she was walking around just fine, but completely forgot about the broken glass.

_Again, thanks for the reviews, you two! And to all my silent readers out there, thanks for being around to enjoy this as much as I do!  
_


	10. Chapter 10: Un Amico

_I tried to write this chapter a couple of times, and had a bit of problems with all of them… The first one didn't work… The second chapter was on my school flash drive with my homework, which got stolen. I'm just going with the one that best suit's the rest of the fic, and hopefully, third time's the charm and the characters aren't too OOC. Going on a long camping trip didn't help in the late update of this, as I didn't have any time to edit it beforehand..._

_And of course, for the story the events in the plot change slightly to accompany the new changes. I find that the song theme for this chapter suits very well. Un Amico is Italian for _'A Friend'_._

_Themes are: Exitlude - the Killers; Some Other Time - Yoko Kanno (Ghost in the Shell OST), Un Amico - Ennio Morricone_

x x x

Chapter 10: Un Amico

x x x

Eventually, the storm cleared away from the Legacy… The winds blew away, rain washed away the filth that it left behind, and the clouds had begun to disappear. And even though the damage was severe, outside the sun was shining, and heaven didn't seem that far away.

x x x

Outside, birds twittered happily in the trees, naive to the event that passed through the town not two days before. Sunlight filtered through the leaves of a large evergreen near a guest bedroom, shining directly onto the face of a snoozing girl. Her eyelids twitched and she made to move an arm over her eyes, when she rolled over and felt a fluffy feather-filled pillow against her cheek instead of her regular cotton one. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked down drowsily at the white pillowcase, then around the unfamiliar room. A small incoherent sound of bleary confusion came from her as she blinked slowly.

Memories of yesterday flooded Norma's mind, and she sat up quickly in panic as she remembered what had happened. "Wally!" She nearly yelled, her voice high-pitched as her frantic eyes searched her surroundings for a familiar blond. A huge wave of exhaustion hit her like a tram, making her head spin and expelling a groan from the girl.

The door opened and a girl walked in, her familiar flower headband holding back fair hair which caught the sunlight, making it shimmer. She walked over to Norma and held out an arm to push her back into bed, "Calm down Norma, lay down for a moment…"

"S-shirl?" Norma stuttered, laying back down and thoroughly startled by the girl's appearance. But… If she was here, then she heard her yell…?"

Shirley saw the frantic look in her eyes, and cast her gaze from Norma's face to the bed sheets. "It's fine, Norma… I already know."

The treasure hunter swallowed, eyes wide in a mixture of different emotions, "But… If you know then-? Where's-"

"Norma." Shirley interrupted with a stern tone in her voice, "You exhausted your mana; if you stay riled up then you'll pass out again. Calm down." Oddly enough, Norma seemed to quiet down, though the expressions running across her face were still reflecting all of the fears and concerns she was thinking about. Norma made to open her mouth and speak again, but Shirley shushed her, "Before you ask, only myself, Madam Musette and Jay know about Walter, so don't-"

This put a new wave of panic in her eyes, "What happened to him, is he ok-"Shirley pushed down the hysterical girl once more, "He's fine; he's asleep in the other bedroom, where Musette and I found you two days ago."

Norma looked outside the window, her expression now confused, "Wait, I've been asleep for two days?" As if to prove her point, a bird chirped a sweet melody as it flew past their window on tiny wings. "So the hurricane is over…"

"After leaving the Thunder Monument we couldn't come into the city with the storm happening, so we all stayed in the Oresoren village. I came back, and Musette called myself and Jay here. She found you both unconscious in the other room, and you're the first to have woken up." The blond explained, going through her mind at what her expression probably was when she saw Walter's still form on a bed, with Norma crumpled on the floor nearby.

Had the brunette been standing, she would have probably collapsed in relief. He was ok… Wally's still alive! She nearly giggled, for god's sake! Master Sven was probably laughing at her now, or trying to give her a pat on the back. Her eyes watered trying not to laugh, or were they tears of joy…?

Shirley looked towards the window, and found a chair to sit in, dragging it near the edge of the bed as she asked another question. "Norma…" She looked to the Ferines girl. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Her joyful expression disappeared, leaving one of guilt in it's place. "JJ didn't tell you…?"

"He said it would be best to hear it from you."

Norma looked down at the sheets her fingers were fingering nervously. JJ _had_ kept his word about not telling anyone else… "It's… it's a long story." Norma quietly said.

Shirley looked over at the clock, "We're not going anywhere."

The brunette was silent for a while, then steeled herself and began her story.

x x x

Over the next few hours, Norma retold everything that had happened thus far where-ever Wally was involved. This time, she included just as many details as she had with Jay, besides that bomb that had resulted in their argument's end.

Shirley didn't say much during this time in terms of her, but was very curious about how different the male Ferines in the bedroom one room over seemed to be compared to her previous encounters. Though he treated her much differently than the Orerines citizens and even the other Ferines because she was the Merines, the point was still there.

Norma sighed when her story was finished, and looked down at the plushy comforter covering her legs.

Shirley over at her with a solemn expression. "Norma, why didn't you tell any of us? You know we could have helped you."

Norma's eyes shut in guilt, "Yeah, well… I didn't know what you guys would have thought about me harboring someone who's tried to kill us in the past. It isn't as bad for you since Wally was practically your bodyguard and wouldn't harm a hair on you."

Shirley nodded and a small smile lit her face, "Yes… But you know, I did the same thing when I was the Merines and tried to bring a second Cataclysm. Yet you have all stuck by me."

Norma looked up and gave her a smile, "Well, you're nice, Shirl. Just a bit shy, and quiet, but mostly nice. Wally… He's none of those things." Her smile grew larger as an image popped into her mind. "Plus he wouldn't look nearly as cool as you did in that dress."

Shirley blinked, and her cheeks grew red in trying to keep from laughing. "N-no… I don't think he would…" Norma burst into laughter at her facial expression, before the blond calmed down and continued. "Still, from what you've told me, Walter sounds… a lot more relaxed then he did, and more friendly too."

The brunette's smile gradually disappeared, "I wouldn't know about relaxed… He's been on edge since I found him a week and a half ago. Yeah, he doesn't act all high-and-mighty anymore, but he's still uptight whenever I start to pry."

"Not many people like others being nosy about their personal lives, Norma." Shirley stated.

"Yeah, well… Well…" Norma couldn't think of a proper rebuttal for that line. "…Well, ok. But still, he could stand to be a little more open with me!"

Shirley gave her a stern look. "Norma, not everyone is so open around other people as you. I'm sure you have a few secrets that you would like to keep to yourself."

Norma immediately thought of her teacher Sven in all of his goofy glory, and how she had reacted when she had heard about his passing a year and a half ago. Distraught wasn't even close to what she felt. "…Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

Shirley looked out the window nearby. "…Besides, even when I was at the village Walter didn't say a word about himself. He was always silent in those regards. Of course, I always thought it was stress-related, though I didn't think of those things much after Stella passed away."

Norma winced at the mention of her older sister, that radiant older girl who gave her life to save the capital city of Gadoria, and whom Senel had been in love with. She hesitantly looked up at the younger girl, "Speaking of which…"

Shirley gave Norma a smile, "Don't worry about me, Norma. I miss her… but I've also learned to let go of the past and start living my own life."

Norma let out a breath and grinned back at her, "I'm glad to hear it, Shirl!"

x x x

The two girls chatted with each other for a little while before they both heard a knock on the door downstairs. Rose, a shy and clumsy girl with glasses too large for her face, was the only maid of the household, and also the one who went to open the door. The door nearly blasted open from the person on the outside, and a loud voice boomed, "BUUUBBLES! WE'RE HEEERE!"

A quieter and more sarcastic-toned voice was nearly overwhelmed by the thudding footsteps of the other running up the staircase. "You stupid bandit: have you no respect or knowledge of common courtesy for others' homes?"

The footsteps thudded closer until a redhead blasted by the door, grabbed the edge of the doorway and stopped himself. He then pulled himself into the doorway and grinned wildly at the two girls, "Bubbles, you're awake!"

A shorter figure walked into the doorway behind Moses, his large violet eyes crinkling as he smiled at the brunette, "Good to see you awake, Norma."

Norma was about to say something, clear happiness on her face when the older redhead tackled her with a hug. "Ack! Little tight there, Red!" She gasped as the tanned arms withdrew.

"Sorry 'bout that." The redhead rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Jay rolled his eyes before turning his gaze onto Norma. "It's good to see that you're awake. How do you feel?"

Norma shrugged, "Tired, really. And antsy to get out of bed."

Jay nodded at her and turned to Shirley, "I take it she told you already?"

Shirley nodded, and Norma's jaw dropped, "You mean… you've all been in on this!"

"No, Shirley didn't know a thing about Walter. And I made sure that Moses would keep quiet about it as well, per our agreement." Jay responded.

Moses glared at the shinobi, "Hey! I may just be a bandit, but I'm a man of my word and I never go back on my promises!"

Norma seemed to grumble to herself quietly before she started to speak, "So only the four of us know about it?"

"No one else..." Jay responded.

"...Save for Madam Musette." Shirley added.

Norma let out a small breath she didn't know she had been holding, "Well goodie. So, what now?" She leaned back against the headboard covered with pillows as she stared at the ninja seriously.

"Now, we discuss what other events may have been missed from three days ago and so on." Jay started, and motioned for Shirley to start.

"Well, when you and Jay were not at the meeting, we waiting for a bit before continuing without you. Curtis and Isabella told us that they had stopped a fight in the park between two bandits, Geit and an unfamiliar blond man. When they had discovered the blond was really Walter, he ran away. We all went on to discuss why he may have been here, and also that the Village of the Ferines had alerted me about a possible Orerines intruder in their village earlier that day." Shirley said, then passed the figurative baton on to Moses to continue.

"Well, next day we all left after 'lil Harriett asked us to get a special drake for Will, so off we went to the lightning place in the Quiet Lands. We went and tried to catch the thing, but then a really big and black dragon came an' attacked us. We defeated it, but soon afterwards Will showed up and gave Harriett a big lecture an' we tried to leave. But a hurricane was goin' on when we got back up to the top level, so we took the duct to the Oresoren's village and stayed there for the night. 'Kay Jay, your turn." Moses rambled.

Jay spoke next. "We all returned to Werites Beacon, when Madam Musette called both Shirley and I to her home. She had found both you and Walter unconscious. While you were fine, he still had internal injuries, so Shirley healed him and we brought the others in the group to the house. Madam Musette told them about finding you unconscious in the upper room from where you was taking shelter the day before from the storm. She didn't say anything about Walter, but Will checked on you and concluded that you had collapsed from mana exhaustion, but from what he couldn't guess." He waited for Shirley to speak up next.

"Afterwards, we also heard about something happening at the Waterways from Will, about how the flora was beginning to wither because of the black mist, and we left to go there. We were separated, and found Will in a bottom room with black mist everywhere, and he was with… what seemed to be a copy of himself. It was a darker copy however: it looked darker, surrounded by black mist and it's skin was pure white. It seemed to be made up of just monochrome colors, and ended up attacking us. We defeated it, and the black mist in the area withdrew and disappeared. We returned, and that evening Will and Harriett made up."

"The next day, we all went about our business, and you had woken up." Shirley finished, playing with one of her braids.

"So the black mist problem is getting even worse?" Norma asked aloud. "Well that isn't good, but at least Hattie and Teach are getting along now."

"The black mist is a troubling problem… However, I have also heard rumors of dragons becoming more and more numerous in the areas around Port on Rage and the forests near the mountains." Jay commented.

"Sorry, but dragons sound pretty bad compared to mist at the moment…" Moses spoke up, a troubling expression on his face. "That dragon me and my boys fought a week ago was a lot stronger than the ones we fought before. I'm willin' to guess the others are just as strong."

"You're probably right." Norma said, wincing at the thought of how bad it would be if a dragon came into the city and attacked someone, especially if none of the Fun Bunch was around to help. "But then again, there are bandits in the city along with some leftover soldiers from the Holy Rexalian Empire. If something were to happen in the city we could fend off a dragon, right?"

"I'm not sure… It's possible that a single dragon could be fended off by the town's forces, but with the large amount that have been spotted, I have a feeling that if one were to attack the city, more would follow." Jay said, his brows stood up from the dresser he was leaning against.

"Well in that case, I'm gonna go get my boys battle ready in case an attack comes outta nowhere." Moses stated.

Jay gave the bandit a shocked look, "I'm surprised that you can come up good ideas, Moses. Did you hit your head this morning?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You're a funny guy, Jay. You may be smart but you ain't gettin' any taller-" Moses started sarcastically, about to ruffle the younger's boy's hair.

Jay jumped back and glared daggers at the redhead, "I'd rather be smart and short, then big and stupid!"

Moses shrugged, "Aww, now why'd ya have to say that, Jay? Now you're hurtin' my feelings!"

Norma and Shirley grinned, and the brunette cackled to herself, "Aww, they even bicker like siblings, don't they Shirl?" Shirley nodded, and the two girls laughed at the indignant expressions that both gave them (though Jay's held more horror).

"Do not!" The two said in unison. The laughing continued until the three visitors finally left, one to his caravan, one to the village full of Oresoren and the last to attend her duties as an ambassador of the Ferines.

x x x

Shortly after her friends left, Norma found herself very bored. Musette wasn't around, and Walter was still unconscious. Her only company would have been Rose, who was often busy cleaning up the messes she made when she was a bit more clumsy than usual when cleaning. Even if she wasn't, the girl was too shy for her own good, stumbled over her words, and was generally anti-social.

Frowning, she got up slowly, swaying and nearly falling over when she stood up. With her hand dragging along the wall, she walked into the library where she looked over the numerous amounts of books in the room. She looked around for something interesting before plucking a book off a shelf labeled fiction and plopped down into a plush chair. Opening the book, which looked well-worn, she began to read.

By early evening, she had devoured quite a bit of the story before looking up at the clock. It was almost 7:00, and her eyes were beginning to close. She was too tired to even eat anything. She set the book down on a table nearby and walked out of the room. She began to walk back towards her room, but stopped. She looked back towards the bedroom at the end of the hallway for a long moment, then sighed heavily to herself. She turned in place and walked the other way. She might as well check to see if it was awake.

x x x

It was pitch black outside, and the only light in the room was from the nearly-full moon filtering through the window, opened just slightly for fresh air to waft through the house. Books that had previously been strewn on the floor had been collected and were stacked neatly on a dresser nearby. Off to the side was a plush armchair, where a girl was slouched in deep sleep.

In the center of the room, a figure stirred in his sleep, tangled blond hair falling out of his closed eyes. A hand twitched, and he slowly murmured something under his breath as he rolled onto his side towards the window. A few minutes later, he sighed quietly in his sleep, and his eyes fluttered open.

The first thing that Walter was aware of when he first awoke was that it was nighttime, and he was in a room he didn't recognize. When he went to sit up, a lingering throb in his chest made him grimace and stop. That was the second point. Third, as his bleary eyed adapted to the night, he noticed a girl sleeping in a chair on the opposite side of the room. Her very slight snoring made her hair flutter in her face.

He blinked, and remembered all that had happened a few nights ago, but to him seemed like earlier that day. He remembered enough that he had punctured a lung because he tripped over a stack of books and his already broken ribs broke even more, stabbing him. ...He'll never be able to live down the idiocy of that life-threatening injury for the rest of his life.

He groaned at the memory and brought a hand to his hair, brushing it out of his eyes. What else…? He remembered little fragments for the rest of the evening's events. Him struggling to his feet and hobbling over to try and apologize to Norma while enlisting her help to heal his injury. Sliding against the door. Her red and teary eyes looking into his face with immense shock and worry. Helping him back to the other room. Then…

He said something. He couldn't remember what, but he knew he had said _something_ to her before all of his senses shut down as he became unconscious. It was something important and probably damaged his 'jerkass' reputation or persona that he had adopted permanently, but it just wasn't coming to him.

Walter sighed softly, and looked over to the window. The cool breeze ran through the room before slipping through a small crack in the door to waft through the rest of the house. The fresh breeze was nice, but… It was getting cold in here. He shivered as the wind hit his bare chest, warm blankets absent. He tried to get up again, but his chest burned until he just gave up and settled into his sitting position. His head resting against the pillows, he looked over at the girl in the chair across from him.

The Ferines didn't speak to her to wake her up, as a normal person would. It was too late in the evening, and he didn't want to wake up the other occupants in the inn by doing so. Not to mention, odds were that it wouldn't wake her up. So he did the next best best thing.

He started throwing pillows at her.

Even if he was used to martial arts instead of using weapons, he still had good aim when it came to throwing objects, even if they were pillows. The first one hit her smack dab in the face, which made her flinch in her sleep and she curled tighter in the chair she was in. "Nnngh, no punching… Don' wanna pillow fight… Zzzzz…"

Raising an eyebrow at her mumbling, Walter continued throwing pelting her with pillows until he was down to one pillow he was currently leaning against, and she was nearly invisible from the amount of pillows piled on top of her.

Thoroughly aggravated at the girl's heavy sleeping, he struggled out of the bed hissing at the burning his chest was experiencing. Clenching a hand against his chest, he stood up, his other hand holding the corner of the nightstand next to him in a tight grip. He wobbled in place, slowly coming to the window next to the girl. He closed it a bit roughly, and appreciated having the room seem a bit warmer already from the breeze's absence. He looked at the girl next to him, and irritated at her continued sleep, took a pillow from her lap and smacked her over the head with it.

This time, Norma grimaced, and held her head as she drowsily came out of slumber land, "Alright Teach, I'm up! I'm up!" She said to the person next to her, rubbing her eyes and trying to wake herself up.

"I only wish you were a bit easier to wake up, Beatty. And you'll get a kink in your neck sleeping like that." The voice made her freeze in her actions, and her head whipped around to look at him so fast he felt the breeze of her hair whipping past. The man standing beside her was wearing a pair of pajama pants, and was hunched over slightly with a hand against the windowsill, the other holding the pillow which smacked her. His blond hair was almost always covering his eyes, but during this rare time the tangled mess of hair was shifted out of his face, allowing her to see his tired blue eyes gazing back at her. And he wasn't unconscious anymore.

He was awake. He was better. _He was ok._

"Wally!" She nearly shrieked, and pillows were scattered across the floor as she caught him in a tight hug. The blond gasped in both surprise and pain as she stuttered quickly into his chest. "Wally, you jerk, don't ever friggin' scare me like that again! I was worried, you jerkass, I didn't even know if you were ok or not and… and... Oh Wally, I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Ghh… Beatty, my chest still hurts, you know." He gritted out. The girl had nearly bowled him over when she had seen him awake, and now he was struggling to ignore the burning feeling him his chest and keep from toppling over from supporting both of their weight.

Norma nearly jumped back, and Walter hunched over a bit, dropping the pillow and holding his chest. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean…!"

He looked at her frantic expression, but noticed that the moon made her face light up. Her eyes were shining. "…You're crying." He stated bluntly.

"...Eh?" The brunette stopped and blinked, a small drop of water just beginning to escape her eyes. A small pause later, her mind caught up with her and she felt the small drop begin to fall down her cheek. "…Oh. You're right…" She went to wipe the water away, but as she did, more tears ran down her face and her shoulders started shaking slightly. "I-I can't really stop… I just…" Her voice sounded tense, ready to break the more tears that ran down her cheeks.

Walter's gaze remained steady on the crying girl, and he brought his arm from his chest to her, gently pulling her to him for a hug. This seemed to make the girl shake even more as she leaned her head against his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her form tightly, and he let his head rest against hers as she cried.

Her voice broke as she continued, "I j-just… I was just scared… You're my friend Wally, I… I d-didn't want you leaving me either."

His brows furrowed slightly. "Who left you?"

"M-my teacher, Sven… He taught me all I know, and he was looking f-for the Everlight. He… H-he passed away. I didn't even say…" Norma cried, sniffling as she continued. "I was s-so afraid you'd do the same thing."

The blond thought about what she had told him. That would explain why she was so vehement on finding that legendary treasure. And from how scared she was about his injuries, he guessed she was very close to this Sven character. That notebook that had gotten them into this mess, that was also a notebook she said her teacher gave her.

It didn't necessarily push aside the fact that Norma was _afraid _of him leaving. That she was deathly afraid that he would die and she'd be alone again. Even though he'd never let that happen... part of him couldn't help but feel happy because someone c_ared_ about whether he was around or not...

He bent his head down and spoke softly into her ear, "Norma. Calm down, I'm not going to leave. I have no intentions of dying again…"

She sniffled, but her crying had stopped for the most part. Her cheek brushed against his chest as she dared to look at him. Her face was tear-streaked, her eyes watery and a few strands of her hair had stuck to her wet cheeks.

Walter looked down at her and gave her a small smile, before wrapping his other arm around her and leaning his head against hers. "I'm not going anywhere." Silently, he made a pledge to both her and himself. Norma had saved his life... And he was going to return the favor and protect hers, no matter what cost. _...I promise._

x x x

_Aaand I'm ending it here. Hope you enjoyed it, because it was a real pain in the ass to write._

_Also, the format went really wonky when I tried to submit it as a story-document to edit and post... Did that happen to anyone else?_

Reviewer Corner

Shiroi Iyasu: Well the story's speeding up a bit... Plus I like conflict, so the plot's moving again!

Ranchdressing: Anticlimactic... Yeah, it probably would! :laughs: And if Norma learned the spell Resurrection around her story arc in the game that'd be really ironic. But really, I imagine Resurrection as a very powerful healing spell. A team member is knocked out, yes, but you can't heal a dead person, case and point being Stella... But no, Wally isn't dying yet. I have too many plans for him!


	11. Chapter 11: The Green Leaves of Summer

_I have finally gotten over my writer's block, and it feels good to be writing again! The chapter is a bit short and all over the place, but this is mostly for introducing previous characters again and moving the plot along. As for bad news… I'm guessing I have about four to five chapters left on this fic. Though knowing me, I'll be posting a few slice-of-life oneshots afterwards._

_Other bad news includes that I've been taking a rather long time updating, which is both upsetting and friggin' annoying. I hate deadlines and it can make writing all the more harder, what with me going back to class in the fall... So because of that, I'm taking a little break from updating so I can build up a decent amount of chapters. So, no updates for 3 weeks to a month. Thanks for your patience guys, enjoy the chapter!_

_Themes are: The Green Leaves of Summer - Nick Perito, Hall Om Mig - Nanne Gronvall, The Walk - Imogen Heap, When You Were Young - The Killers. As much as I was tempted to add Sigor Ros' Saeglopur to this list... It doesn't fit. It doesn't fit anywhere. Really, it's too beautiful to, but it's still my main source of inspiration whenever I listen to it. Go to youtube and watch the video for it. ...No, really.  
_

x x x

Chapter 11: The Green leaves of Summer

x x x

The next morning after Walter woke up did not include much. After waking up in the middle of the night and having an emotional breakdown, Norma found it satisfactory to just stay in bed all day. Shirley tried to budge her a couple of times, but the girl wouldn't wake, ignoring everything outside of the dreamy landscape in her mind.

As for the other blond, Shirley gave him another round of healing and he was up and about again. She had relayed most of the events in the previous days to him, and he too was on edge about the mention of dragons now seemingly swarming the populated areas around Werites Beacon. Shirley left to go see Senel (not telling Walter about it, of course) a while later, leaving the Ferines alone with only a maid (too shy and anti-social) and Norma (asleep).

About an hour later, Walter was walking along a bustling road, down from Madam Musette's house along the long streets towards the shopping district and the fountain. Hands in his pockets and black cloak fluttering behind him, he let his eyes wander around the surrounding buildings and people. One house nearby had an elderly lady watering the numerous flowers by her fence, who seemed to give him an evil eye when he passed by.

Another house was half finished, with a burly sawdust-covered man hard at work setting up the outer support beams. Walking along his route, he paused in his steps for a moment. That kid he had met when he first got here… What was his name again? Tra… Train? Trevor? The blond stood in the middle of the street with his arms crossed, trying to remember the kid's name. A nearby man holding a basket full of fruit gave him an odd look as he passed by.

Soon enough, the blond snapped his fingers and continued walking. Travis, that was it! The kid was covered in sawdust as well, so he could only assume that he was the son, or at least relative or friend, of that muscular worker. …He wondered where Travis was at that moment. Would he even remember him?

He shook his head, "No, of course he would…" He said to himself. Who _would_ forget an intimidating flying man? Pushing the thoughts out of his head, the blond continued down the path and the familiar crossroads that led to the fountain, inn and hospital came into view. Trying to think back to the last time he ate, he started walking towards the bakery.

x x x

At that same point in time, a small band of kids were walking down the path to the fountain. One was a scrawny little girl with bright orange-ginger hair. The second was a kid who looked like the only thing he ate in his life were sweets and potato chips, if his freckled plump cheeks were any indication. The third was a brunette kid with a patched shirt holding what looked like a lucky rabbit's foot in his hands. They were all talking about how much luck one could get from a rabbit's foot opposed to a good luck charm.

The girl broke away from their conversation to look at the blond man in black and red that walked by towards the inn. She turned her eyes back to the brunette. "'Ey Travis. Wha'zat guy look like again?" She asked, her voice clipped in a strange accent belonging to a country on the mainland.

Travis looked over at her, "What guy?"

"'Zat guy. You know, Zee one zat could fly. Wasn't 'ee blond?" She continued.

"Well, yeah. Why do ya ask, Aimee?"

The girl pointed over at the blond man, who was walking away from them. "Izn't zat him?"

Travis looked over at the blond for a moment, then his entire face seemed to light up. The pudgy boy gave the girl a side-glance and said, "Yep, guess it was."

Travis took off in a run and the other two followed, the pudgy one slower than the rest of the trio.

x x x

Walter continued walking, when he heard a small voice yelling behind him. "Waaaaallyyy!" The small voice cried, small footsteps pattering towards him. …Why were they multiplying?The blond looked confused, and turned to stare behind him at the three kids that were running directly at him. Two boys and one girl… The other two were unfamiliar, but the first one that was yelling his name… "Travis?" Walter said, the name ending in a question mark. Speaking of sawdust-covered boys, there he was now.

The kid grinned at him and tackled him, nearly bowling him over by the force of his hug. "Wally, hiya!" He yelled, looking up at the man with a huge smile on his face, eyes lighting up.

Walter sweat dropped at that adoring expression. Dear Nerifes, not this again. He pried the boy's arms off of his waist when he saw the child's entourage approaching. "Off please…" He said quietly, slightly embarrassed at how much attention the kid was giving him.

Travis released his grip and stood back and grinned at him. "Wally, good to see ya again!" He looked back at his two friends: one a dark-haired boy and the other a red-headed girl who's hair was so orange a pumpkin would be jealous. "See? See? I told you he was real!" He chattered excitedly to his friends.

The large freckled boy gave the blond a skeptical look, "Well, he doesn't look nearly as scary as you made him out to be." Walter gave the kid an indignant expression, and the kid nearly squeaked and hid behind the girl.

Travis looked up at the Ferines and motioned to his friends, "Wally, this is Aimee and Chad. Guys, this is Wally."

Aimee made a gesture that was supposed to look like a curtsy, but her clumsy 8-year old self without a pretty dress couldn't really pull it off. "Pleased to meet you, sir." She said. Chad simply waved at him from behind the girl, a bit intimidated by the blond man.

Walter nodded his head to the three, and looked to Travis. "Travis, I'm going to the bakery for something to eat, you three want something?" He may as well be a nice guy and buy the kids something. Besides, he was in a good mood today.

At the mere mention of getting a pasty for free, the three jumped at the offer. "Yes please!" The three said in unison. The sight was so cute he couldn't help chuckling, a smile lingering on his face as he led the four to the shop.

A little after 10 minutes later, Walter would swear to himself to never, _ever _underestimate the stomach capacity of kids when it came to sweet things.

x x x

Meanwhile, Norma was just leaving Madam Musette's house with the intention of discovering where the hell Walter went. She made a point of asking the maid, Rose, but she shook her head and blushed, stammering that she hadn't seen him. Norma assumed that Shirley had healed him completely this time, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to go outside for very long.

Shrugging it off, she left in the direction of Senny's house, where she had heard from Shirley the day she woke up that the group was having a picnic the next day. Norma could only hope that it wasn't Harriett that was cooking.

x x x

Walter's coin purse was crying. After spending his gald on strawberry croissants, chocolate éclairs, cookies, berry-filled crepes and chocolate cornets, Walter really had to wonder how he even had enough to spend on himself. The three were chowing down on their treats while the blond ate the last of his curry bread. The three kids, perfectly content with their food seemed to just ignore the world while they enjoyed their sugary treats. Free sugary treats: the best kind.

The blond man noticed a crowd beginning to build up near the front entrance, but paid no real heed to it as Chad looked over at him, having worked up enough bravery to ask him a question. After all, if he had gone and bought them pastries, he couldn't be that bad. He just looked a bit scary, is all. "Hey Mister Wally." The blond seemed to cringe at the 'mister' line. "If you really can fly, where are your wings?"

The girl hit him on the shoulder, giving him a "what are you, stupid" look. "Don't you remember wot Travis said? Zey appear, zen they disappear. Poof." She made a hand gesture which was supposed to signify something poofing in and out of existence.

Walter nodded his head at her point. "I don't fly unless I have to. …They attract too much attention." Not to mention the dangers that being revealed a Ferines were back when Vaclav was still running around. Some of his people had no qualms about selling a Ferines for a few gald a few years ago.

"So you won't show us…?" Chad seemed disappointed. They all did.

"No, just not where other people are around." Walter responded quickly, wanting their pathetic expressions to change as soon as possible. He didn't think he could handle three crying children on his conscience. In the next few moments, he heard a female voice yelling, coming from the entrance of the town. He couldn't really make out any of the words she said, but it was enough to perk his curiosity. He looked to the three kids and said, "You kids stay here, I'll be back in a few minutes."

He left the table and walked towards the crowd, hearing the voice becoming more and more clear. "…anyone answer my question?" He pushed past a few people in the crowd until he was near the front and saw just who was yelling to the crowd. It was that girl again, Fenimore's twin. She was alone, and seemed to be searching for something… or someone. "Does anyone know where the Merines is in this town? I want to speak with her!"

A few people whispered to each other around him. "Who is a Merines supposed to be?" "Why is she wearing that strange clothing?" "Is she one of the Radiant?"

"Answer me!" She yelled again. At that point in time Walter did something he probably shouldn't have, but he had enough of her constant yelling and wanted her to just stop.

He pushed past two people until he was in front of the crowd and said, "They won't know who the Merines is. She's known as Shirley Fennes here."

The girl turned to him and her eyes widened, "_You! _You're the one who invaded my village a week ago!" She was shocked and instantly became mad at him instead of the crowd.

Walter took a few steps out of the crowd so she could see him a bit clearer, and so the whispering behind him wouldn't seem so noisy. "Invading? I was simply visiting the place-" He shrugged.

"You liar!" She interrupted. "You trespassed into my village, to cause us more problems!"

"Trespassing? That's a little strong seeing as how-" He started again, a bit irritated at being interrupted. Of all the things this girl seemed, polite was not one of them.

"Again with the lying! Can't you just keep to your own business-"

"Would you _please_ stop interrupting me! Do you have any idea his annoying that is?" Walter snapped, the small line of patience he had shrinking fast.

"You just did the same thing to me!" The girl was flushed in the face, probably from yelling at him in her frustration.

"If you had a little more manners then maybe I would return the favor-"

Fenimore's twin interrupted him yet again, her eyes venomous. "I don't have to do _anything_ for you, you selfish greedy Orerines! Expecting something you don't deserve... It's just the sort of thing that your kind would-"

The blond gave her a dark look. "_'My kind'_…? Girl, you mistake me for an Orerines." He looked down at his red and black clothing, a drastic contrast from the traditional blues and whites of the Ferines. "Must be the clothes..." Turning his gaze back to her, he took a step closer and said, "Tell me, did Maurits tell you about anyone by the name of Walter? Whom was assigned to protect the Merines?"

Fenimore's twin's eyes narrowed, "How do you know Maurits? And so what if I've heard about the guy. He was the Merines' bodyguard before he died in the Wings of Light. Killed by the Merines' so-called friends who convinced her not to cleanse this world of your filth! The same Merines that killed my sister!" She yelled at him. Who the hell was this guy to talk about her race like that, like he knew them!

Walter's eyes flickered to the crowd. No… He couldn't prove who he was without giving himself away. He'd have to do it another time. He looked back to her and said in a softer tone, "That Merines you speak of deeply cared about your sister. Don't tarnish Fenimore's memory by hating her."

"Shut up! Who gives you the right to talk about Fenimore! Your stupid race was the one who killed her!" The girl screamed at him, hot anger flushing her cheeks.

His eyes smoothed form their irritated expression to a pensive one. How nostalgic, seeing a girl who looked just like Fenimore, passionate just like she used to be. Even if her twin's eyes held bitter anger instead of just stubbornness, she looked so much like her sister it hurt.

"Obviously, you still don't know who I am..." He spoke at last, in a tone that while quiet, it commanded the girl in front of him not to interrupt. "I'm the one who used to be in charge of the security of the Village of the Ferines, which is how I got in so easily. I'm the one who led an army of Sentinels against Vaclav four months ago. I was the person in charge of keeping the Merines safe during her stay in the Mirage Palace..." Words caught in his throat, and he swallowed. "…I'm the one who buried your sister when she gave her life to save Shirley's." He paused, letting his words sink into the twin's mind as her expression slowly changed to one of understanding, and soon after shock.

"Do you know who I am now?" He finished quietly, and stared straight into her eyes.

The girl nearly shook. It was so unlikely… It was impossible. This man in front of her, wearing the garb of the Orerines and giving her facts that seemed so true but just weren't! Walter was dead! Maurits told her himself! But… The platinum blond hair, the icy blue eyes that seemed to stare straight through you… The way he knew who the people in her village was, the faint accent his voice had that was unlike any of those the Orerines were born with... "…It _can't_ be. You're… It's impossible...!" She gasped quietly, too stunned to really comprehend that the person in front of her shouldn't be here. Shouldn't_ be alive._

He seemed to smirk the slightest bit at her mind finally registered what he was telling her, and gave her one last line, "My true name is Delques. Remember that." He then turned and walked back into the crowd.

"W-wait! How are you alive! Why are you here with Orerines? _Answer me!_" Her yells fell on deaf ears, as he wound his way through the crowd. Coming towards him through the crowd was Senel and his group. Averting his eyes, he did all he could do to shield himself from their eyes and ignored them.

x x x

Chloe weaved her way through the crowd after Senel and Shirley. She curiously wondered who was yelling so much. The raised voice belonged to a girl it sounded like, her angered and shocked voice screaming unanswered questions at someone in the crowd in front of them. "Get back here and _answer_ me, damn it!"

She bumped into someone's back, and turned to look at them with an unsaid apology when she noticed a sharp platinum-blond man walking through the crowd in the opposite direction. Her eyes widened for a moment as he passed by seemingly unawares to their group, and a second later was lost in the crowd.

The knight moved her head around, trying to find the figure again through the heavy stream of people. "Was that…?" She asked herself. Was that Walter? It could have been a trick her eyes played on her, but it seemed too much of a coincidence to be so.

"Fenimore!" Shirley and Coolidge exclaimed at the front of the large crowd. Chloe's train of thought paused in it's questioning musings as she turned towards the lone girl in the crowd in surprise, forgetting all about the blond man for the moment.

x x x

A while later, Walter was back with the young trio in a shady area of the park. Per their requests, he activated his teriques and let them stare in awe at the violet wings of light. Chad seemed a bit afraid of them at first, while Aimee thought they were the coolest thing "since Barry Water won the duel against Hill Peasley in Pigfarts School of Dermatology…" Walter had no clue what they were talking about, but took the compliment anyway. He even summoned a zephyr for them to gape at before Chad hid behind Aimee and refused to step anywhere the dark teriques.

Eventually, Travis admitted that the three of them had to be back home shortly. The Three Plus One (Travis' name for the four of them as a group, apparently) journeyed to the opposite side of town from where Madam Musette lived, which is where Chad and Aimee's houses resided. While Chad was in a small house on the outer lip of the town, Aimee not that far away stayed in a larger home with vines of roses covering the front of her house. "My parents are kind of rich, but… 'Oi like getting dirty instead." She had told them when they asked.

With his two friends home, Travis walked across the park with the taller man in black (whom gave a large berth between himself and the bandits caravan), Eventually, the two ended up near his would-be home near Madam Musette's home and they said their goodbyes for the evening. As Travis walked back around the half-built home out of sight, Walter shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to walk to Madam Musette's home.

Pausing for a moment, he began to wonder where Norma was. Going into Musette's home, he encountered Rose, who passed off the message that Norma 'was visiting her teacher' and wouldn't be back for a little while. Figuring the only place she could go to visit Sven would be the graveyard, he left in that direction.

As he walked along the fence bordering Will's house, he heard the door begin to open and promptly disappeared behind the leaves of the nearby tree. The leaves' tips were covered in yellow, spreading through the greenery like a virus: proof that summer was quickly fading into autumn. Peering through the splotched leaves, he looked at the two figures leaving the crystal eren's home.

Walking out of the door was Jay, who was bidding Will goodbye for the night, "I'll have the Oresoren continue to check on the dragon situation then."

The tall man nodded his thanks. "Thank you Jay. Both Her Majesty and myself greatly appreciate it."

"Goodnight." The door closed with a click, and Jay turned to walk across the stone walkway and past the fence. Closing the small gate behind him, he suddenly stopped, becoming still as if listening to a distant sound. He walked a short ways down the road until he was directly beneath the tree and stopped again. Looking up into the tree, he called, "You know, it's rather rude to hide from someone."

"Not if it's for a good reason." The tree responded back before a blond figure easily dropped down from the thick branches. Walter plucked a few leaves from his hair as he looked at the younger ninja. "Going home, I take it?" He asked, voice flat and not that interested. Even if Jay knew about him being in Werites Beacon and the man was in a good mood, the two were still not on good terms. Jay was suspicious of the Ferines and Walter didn't appreciate how nosy and blunt the pale boy could be.

"As a matter of fact, I was. I was checking with the Oresoren about any information they may have gathered about the influx of dragon activity around this area." Jay responded, looking at the blond who looked a lot less pale then he had when he was unconscious two days ago. Noted though, even when he was out cold, he wasn't nearly as white as Jay was. It was probably because the Oresoren Village was in a cave opposed to Werites Beacon or the mainland. Compared to him, Walter seemed as tan as Moses.

The Ferines nodded. "By the way, did you happen to see Norma a little while ago?"

Jay motioned behind him, "I know she went towards the hospital around an hour ago, but I don't know much more then that."

He nodded, "Alright then, thank you." Jay gave him an odd look, which made the young man shift in place. "…What?" He asked, his eyes turned away at the strange expression the younger boy was giving him.

"You're… different than you were a few months ago. You almost act civil now." Jay answered, still giving the blond a strange look.

"Well, if you had been a Ferines I might have treated you civilly." Walter tilted his chin up slightly and struggled not to grin at the exasperated expression from the ninja.

"Well, that certainly explains a lot…" Jay responded said in a dull tone.

The blond's nonchalant expression broke into a small smile before thinking back to their room at the inn. Turning back to the Jay, he asked, "Mind if I stick with you until the inn? I need to see if the window in our room is fixed."

The black-haired boy nodded and the two walked side by side towards the entrance of the city. During this, the two wordlessly tried to overcome each other's pace of walking so as to be ahead of the other, and the blond tried and failed not to smirk whenever the shorter one had trouble keeping up with his brisk pace.

As they approached the inn, a familiar girl in yellow walked out of the entrance of the inn wearing a fresh set of clothes and her battle equipment. She perked up when she saw the two walking in her direction and ran up to them. "Oh great timing, I was just trying to find you guys!"

Before Jay could open his mouth and ask what she was talking , Moses came walking out of the restaurant along with Shirley. "Oh hi guys, just in time!"

Walter turned to Shirley who had just caught up to them along with the redhead. "Care to enlighten us, Shirley?" he asked cautiously. He had a bad feeling about this...

The blond girl motioned to Norma beside her, "Norma?"

Norma put her hands on her hips in a pose of leadership, "Alright everyone. Since we're all keeping silent about Wally with the rest of the Fun Bunch, and I'm still searching for the Everlight, I'm requesting an evening of camping-slash-treasure hunting!"

Jay and Walter stared at her with disbelieving expressions on their faces. "You're kidding…"

"Beatty, can't it wait until morning?" The blond asked.

Norma shook her head, "No, because I already told Harriett to leave a note about us camping-"

"What!"

"-And that we'd be back in the afternoon tomorrow- Oh calm down, you guys! I told them you agreed to it and it gave them a break from fighting for the day." Norma finished, waving her arms at them and ignoring their complaints. "Plus, just see it as a bit of training! Heck, Red and Shirl already agreed to it."

The blond looked over at the current Merines with a questioning expression, and she shifted, "Well, I do want to be able to defend myself better…" She announced shrugged, "Geit's a bit out of shape, so I'm bringin' him with. 'Sides, sounds like fun."

Jay shook his head, "It's rather short notice, Norma…"

The brunette clasped her hands together and gave him the most sappy look she could muster, "Pleeeaaase JJ? Please come with us?" She begged.

Normally, Jay was good about ignoring people who begged him for things, mainly from Moses. But he wasn't used from recieving puppy-eyed looks from girls... Then Shirley gave him a pleading expression along with Moses, and he finally caved. "Fine, I'll go with you three, but it's only so you don't get yourselves eaten by monsters."

Norma cheered, and gave Walter a side-glance. The blond gazed at Shirley for a moment, then flicked his eyes back to Norma, "…Fine. Note I'm only doing this because I have a few months of protecting to make up to Shirley."

Shirley smiled, her cheeks a bit red and Norma cheered again, "Yahoo! We have a full team now!"

Jay looked over the five of them. "Two crystal erens, two iron erens and…" He hesitated for a moment, not truly knowing Walter's strengths in battle, having only truly fought him once.

"Bit of a mixed bag. I'm a close-range iron eren… with a few spells." Walter finished for him.

"That's right. Say, why do ya know crystal eres spells anyhow?" Moses asked, quirking his eyebrows.

The blond shrugged, "I'm a Ferines. We're able to use both types of eres if we choose, though most tend to stick with only one. Usually male Ferines are the iron erens." He explained.

"Huh, learn something new every day... Oh, by the way Wally, here's your stuff I snagged from our room!" Norma said, tossing the blond his bag full of gels and other battle items, which he caught easily.

Shirley spoke up as the other Ferines finished tying the small bag back around his waist. "So Norma, where exactly are we going?"

"We are going to…" She paused for a brief moment to let the tension rise amongst the group. "…The Man-Eating Ruins!"

Jay snorted, "The Man-Eating Ruins? Of all the-"

"I'm not going." Walter sharply exclaimed before turning on his heel and walking the opposite direction from the entrance.

"…places." Jay finished, as he watched the blond start to walk away. He, Moses and Norma exchanged a look and ran after him.

A few moments later, the three were dragging the blond back towards the entrance of Werites Beacon against his will. Norma and Jay held one of his arms, while Moses dragged him with one arm under each of his shoulders. "Let me go, I am _not_ going back to that god-forsaken place and _you won't make me!_" He yelled, trying in vain to shake his captors away.

Shirley nearly snorted in laughter as the trip continued to drag the young man away from the rest of the town. She full out burst into laughter when the blond decided he had enough and activated his eres, furiously trying to fly away with all three still attached to his limbs.

"S-shirl! Help us out here!" Norma cried, somewhat amazed that the Ferines could lift both her and JJ off the ground and was furiously trying to get rid of Red. Still giggling, Shirley ran and wrapped her arms around the blond's waist, pulling him back down underneath Moses who was struggling to keep his feet on the ground and ignoring the viciously flapping wings.

Eventually the weight proved to be too much, and the blond fell backwards onto Moses and Shirley. The combined weight of Walter, Jay and Norma knocked into Shirley, which collided with Moses, and sent the five tumbling to the ground in an undignified heap of flailing limbs.

Jay had bashed his nose against Walter's shoulder when he fell, keeping a strong grip on his upper arm. Norma ended up on top of an incensed blond man, her legs kicking him in the shins when she fell. Shirley was painfully squished between Walter and Moses with her face in his back: a situations she never thought herself to ever be in until this moment. Had Moses, now squished beneath three bodies, not had such a hard head, he would have cracked the back of his skull from the force of which he fell. And the blond in the center of it all was panting hard from the effort it had taken to lift Jay and Norma plus nearly succeeding in lifting Moses off the ground from his teriques and shear willpower alone. Shirley was the one who spoiled it all with her jumping on him.

He panted and gritted his teeth, "Fine… You win… I'll go." His teriques still fluttering slightly, he pushed himself off the ground and the two bodies below him.

All of a sudden, Norma's heavy breathing became a breezy snicker and then a full-out laugh. Walter rolled the girl off of him, who didn't cease in laughing. The laughter was contagious, as it then spread to Moses and then Shirley and then Jay. Walter tried to glare at them all, but his lip trembled in trying not to smile. Finally, realizing the hilarity of their situation, he laughed as well, his fingers pushing his hair out of his eyes for once.

The five of them, in the middle of the evening when the sky was covered in the pink and orange clouds at sunset, laughed and laughed and laughed until they could no more. Four people plus one, laughing their hearts out until they could no longer breath and their stomachs hurt, and then laughed some more.

Four people plus one, turned into comrades, in the middle of the evening under the pink and orange clouds at sunset.

x x x

_I rather liked Travis too much to let him be a one-scene character, so I introduced him and his two best buds. Yes, Chad was the friend who played Legends in the 2nd__ Chapter, Hill Peasley (Harry Potter and Bill Weasley) and Pigfarts School of Dermatology (Pigfarts from __A Very Potter Musical__) were the results of a slight Harry Potter obsession that came about as the last movie came out, which resulted in my reading fanfics constantly for a few days. If you caught the reference, then congrats! ...It is a rather confusing and poorly thought-out one.  
_

_I'll admit, my favorite team in TOL was Senel (always played as him due to his easy controls), Chloe, Jay and Norma. Nowadays, it has changed to this imaginary team-up of the crystal erens Norma and Shirley, the mid-range iron eren Moses, and two close-range iron erens Jay and Walter. I need to try them out in the game minus the obvious non-existant teammate._

_This is where the canon story starts to continue with Norma's character quest. The story is going to pick up with their battles and then lead to the grand finale at the end of Norma's C.Q. Once again, thanks for sticking with me._

Reviewer Corner

Ranchdressing- I laughed more then I should have at your comment. XD And I would never dream of killing him off, especially not now! I'm predictable like that...

Shiroi Iyasu- I'm a closet fan of fluff: it makes the world go 'round! And yes, the black mist and earthquakes were part of the original story. I'm just adding another subplot, that's all.

Pandiita- No problem, I don't mind if people don't review all the time. ...Though it is nice. As for the rushed feeling of last chapter, well... it's probably liek that because I didn't plan it ahead of time, and all was written around 3 in the morning. XD As you can see, for two people who started out biting at each other's necks (somewhat), taking it a little slow is realistic. Unlike... Mary-Sue stories... Eugh. As for his purpose... Well... ...I'm working on it!

PlanetStorm- Hey, another new reviewer! Walter and Chloe... I actually have an idea for a story that might just work for that. It's intriguing. Shame the ToL fandom isn't larger, or we'd see more of it. Maybe. Tons of people like Senel and Chloe, so it'd be like splitting Ron and Hermione from HP. ...Nerifes, I hope you're not a HPHG shipper who's going to bite my head off at that line. XD Your pairing is interesting... Gimmie a week or so and I might come up with something.


	12. Chapter 12: Take a Bow

_End of my hiatus, now onto the chapters!_

Next chapter up, the Man-Eating Ruins! Forgive if it's all over the place in spots: I was distracted by Monster Hunter Tri, which I've been playing a ton lately along with Star Ocean 3... 

_As a sidenote, however for my absence, I've uploaded a few doodles onto my deviantART account, and have found the lyrics to the song The Bird Chirps, I Sing by Konan (aka, that song that plays at the beginning of the game at Lumen Spring. It's all in Relares, but at least I have it! XD )  
_

_Themes are: Ryuusei - Hatsune Miku, Light through the Branches - Celeste Lear and Take a Bow - Muse._

* * *

Chapter 12: Take a Bow

* * *

Exiting the duct, four members of the 'Fun Bunch plus One' extra stepped out from the duct to gaze upon the sparkling gold sands of the beaches surrounding the Man-Eating Ruins. The huge pink structure seemed to rise out of the sands like an ancient subterranean monster, colored a deep rosy red from the saturated light that sunset gave. The open ocean, once violent and rough, was nearly silent as it's waves lapped gently at the beach.

Norma seemed to bounce up and down in excitement and Moses let Geit run around in the glittering sands while Jay and Shirley enjoyed the scenery. Their secondary job was making sure a moody Walter stayed with them instead of retreating back to town. "Nerifes, I hate this place…" The blond muttered under his breath, shifting his gaze from the ruin in front him towards the brilliant sunset just beginning to settle over the horizon.

Norma spun in place and edged the others on, "C'mon you guys, hurry up!" She called before turning around and racing towards the ruin.

Moses and Geit ran after her while Jay wore a tired expression upon his face. "Does she ever take these dungeon-crawling expeditions seriously?"

Shirley looked over at him, "Well, she's probably just excited."

"What exactly is an Everlight anyway?" Walter asked, quickening his pace so he was in line with the other two.

"The Everlight is supposedly a legendary object that can grant any wish… It was translated from Relares years ago, and since then treasure hunters have been looking for it. Though lately, scholars have labeled it as a mere fable and have since then shunned the thought of it even existing." Jay explained. The blond seemed to roll his eyes at the supposed idiocy of scholars on the mainland who thought they knew everything, but let it go as the four reached the entrance of the ruin with Norma at the front.

Her eyes sparkled in excitement, and she pumped an arm into the air with gusto. "Alright, let's go in! Charge!" After a long silence, a sweatdrop seemed to slide down the back of her head. She looked behind her and pouted at the others, "…Uh, guys? I feel kinda stupid doing this by myself."

"Then don't do it." Jay responded simply, which caused her to point at him."Then it isn't any fun though!" She complained.

Moses shrugged, "Well, we all are goin' into a ruin famous for man-eatin', so it doesn't seem like it'd be that much fun anyway." Shirley kept a close eye on the other Ferines, who still looked like he was having second thoughts.

"But we're hunting for the Everlight! We're hunting for treasure; how can't it be fun?" The brunette countered.

Walter shot a dull stare at her, "_Loads_ of ways… It's called the Man-Eating Ruins for a reason."

Moses held out a hand, "An' just look what happened last time we were here, Bubbles. Ya nearly got eaten by a demon bed!"

Both blonds turned a confused look upon the girl. "Wait, you were?" Shirley asked, both curious how the situation came to be, and wanting to avoid the same fate.

"I… I had the situation perfectly under control!" Norma countered hastily, her face flushing.

By this time, the blond Ferines knew if he didn't go into the ruins now he never would. He took Norma by the arm and dragged her in after him. "Let's just get this over with…" He muttered under his breathe wondering how in Nerifes he had even gotten into this situation in the first place.

The others heard her loud protests over his annoyed mumbling, and looked back at each other. Not wasting any more time, they too ran into the coral-red ruin.

x x x

"I do _not_ like this place…" Walter seemed to say to himself yet another time after they had entered, shaking off the remains of a diva from his hands.

A grueling two hours into the dungeons, he had remembered what a pain it was battling the monsters here. Nearly all of them held dangerous toxins which spread poisons, paralysis and were even capable of petrifying a person completely into a grayish brown stone statue. While Shirley and Norma had gotten away with minor scratches most of the time, they were exhausted from continuously casting healing spells on the iron erens of the group who would often be poisoned by the monsters. The fact that Eres, Divas and even the occasional Zephyr inhabited this dungeon made it a very trying place for any warrior, skilled or not.

While they as a group were strong, Walter had yet to get used to working as a team to defeat foes, and therefore he tended to rely on himself a lot and thus accumulate more wounds. Moses and Jay stood their ground on the battlefield just fine, but at times their bickering would get the best of them and they'd fight more sloppily than usual. Shirley and Norma however, were in good form. The blond had never seen the current Merines fight before whom was a sight to behold, and Norma's spell-casting had improved drastically from when he had last fought her.

Yet even with the monsters distracting them, Norma seemed to know her way around the dungeon, searching carefully for traps to protect the group. Already she had sprung one, which had sent the red-haired bandit sliding down a shoot to the floor next to them. Even if Norma wasn't… the best treasure hunter in the world, she was a skilled one for a sixteen year old. Though…

"Ah, cheer up Wally! We'll be our of here soon: we just need to keep searching some more." The girl chirped up as she healed a gash on Moses' side.

…She was far too chipper to take seriously.

Shaking his head, the blond and the rest of the five-person band continued onwards into the dungeon. Strange lights lit their way along the narrow coral pathways through an endless pool of water. The glowing spots in the pathways and along the ceiling made the water reflect bright areas on the ceiling: a calming scenery to an otherwise horrendous ruin.

Norma looked around at the pathways in front of them suspiciously, her eyes darting from the water to the stone steps to the pillars that stood up beside them.

"Any traps?" Jay asked, somewhat uncomfortable that she could spot something he couldn't… But then again, treasure hunting was supposed to be her profession: she was more skilled then him.

Norma didn't respond right away, and after taking a last-minute glimpse behind her, she turned around. "There's no traps, but…"

The Ferines behind Shirley grumbled to himself, "There's always a 'but'…"

"Well, I can't really explain it. There aren't any traps around here, but there's no monsters either, when they're usually crawling all over the place. It just… seems off." She continued, gesturing to the empty pathways behind her.

Moses crossed his arms. "Well, if there ain't no monsters then that just means there's a bigger monster 'round here." The bandit looked to the narrow path in front of them, then to the ceiling, then to the pool of water surrounding the entire walkway. He pointed to the water. "…Which is probably livin' in that big puddle."

"I'm surprised you thought all of that out, Moses." Jay commented, a single eyebrow raised.

"Comes from livin' in the wild, baby!" The redhead grinned, banging a fist against his chest while the ninja groaned at the nickname.

"Do me a favor, please? _Never_ call me that again…"

"Aww, is 'lil Jay embarrassed-" Moses didn't get to finish his light-hearted taunting when the younger boy threw an explosive dagger at his feet, which promptly exploded. "Hey hey hey! No need for the knives, I was only playin' with ya!"

While the taller of the two managed yet again to get on the other's nerves, Shirley had been intently watching the water after hearing the possibility of a large creature living nearby. Her eyes scanned the still water with a strange feeling of dread seeping into her stomach.

Norma, after having stopped laughing at the boys, looked over at Shirley and saw her unease. "Hey, what's up Shirl?"

Shirley bit her bottom lip. "…it's too quiet here."

The brunette looked around them and listened. The only thing they could hear was the loud noise of yelling and scuffing feet from the two teens nearby. Nothing else.

Walter turned his head to scan the water, checking for any slight disturbance. Which didn't work nearly as well as it should, as the two _children_ next to him were still roughhousing. Shutting his eyes against the noise, he barked at them. "Will you two _shut up_!" The two, Jay's head caught in a headlock by Moses while Jay was pulling the redhead's hair down so he could whack him in the head, suddenly went silent for a moment. "Listen…"

The five became silent, listening for some strange noise. Their unease grew when they found out they were struggling to hear anything other than their own breathing. "Nothing…" Shirley breathed.

Jay looked towards the water nearby, "You may just be right about that theory, Moses…"

"So now what?" Norma said, obviously not happy about their predicament. "If there's some big fishy waiting at the bottom of this lake, then how the heck are we gonna cross over these pathways?" The stone looked sturdy, but slippery. One false footstep could land one of them into the water… and probably into the jaws of whatever lay in the deep.

Walter was silent in thought, still looking at the water. One way was just to fly, but… He doubted he could carry all five of them across the huge maze of pathways without exhausting himself of energy. A frown forming on his face, he came up with an idea. Not his greatest idea, nor the most pleasurable, but an idea nonetheless.

Reaching to his side, he untied his bag full of gels and tossed it to Norma. "Hold that please." And without a second glance, walked three long strides to the edge, and dove in.

The water was cooler than he had thought it had been, which was cold. This put the underground lake at a freezing temperature which nearly made him gasp in shock. A few moments later, air bubbles swam past his face back to the surface as his hair began to glow a familiar faint cerulean color. With the color change, the frigid temperature surrounding him seemed to taper off until he didn't really notice it anymore.

With a steadying breathe, the now blue-haired man slowly swam down into the depths of the lake, his way lighted by the dim light of his eres. Searching around for any sign of something moving in the clear water, he found a strange shape at the bottom, as still as stone. Furrowing his eyes, he went in for a closer look…

x x x

Norma drummed her fingers against the broken pillar she was sitting on, staring off into the surrounding area just like the other three. Her other hand absentmindedly rubbed the stiff fabric which the bag full of gels consisted of, she wondered what the heck was taking Walter so long to return. "What's takin' him so long?" She whined.

"Well it _is_ a big lake…" Moses commented loudly, his voice echoing off the walls of the ruin.

Shirley looked into the water with a thoughtful expression, then looked towards Norma, "It would probably be faster if two people were-"

"I wouldn't do it, Shirley." Jay commented, looking up from where he was leaning against a pillar. "He's competent enough to take care of himself…"

"Besides, Wally would kill us if we let you go." Norma shrugged, then swallowed hard as Shirley gave her a stubborn, less-than-pleased expression. "Hey, don't blame me Shirl! I'm just looking out for my life here, and yours!" She held up her hands when the four heard a strange sound.

The four turned to the water to see a strange bubbling spot on the water, as if something were moving just underneath it. The bubbles suddenly stopped a few seconds later, letting the ripples cross the lake in long lines to the outer walls.

They looked at each other confused. "…Erm, what was that?" Norma asked.

"Dunno." Moses answered, scratching his head at the strange occurrence.

Nearly as soon as Moses answered Norma's question, a blond head popped out of the water to look at the other four. "I found something…" Walter stated in a deadpan voice before the water shook with an underwater roar. The surface of the water was no longer smooth and glassy with the amount of water sloshing around the walls and pillars creating ripples which collided with each other.

The blond seemed to wince, "Excuse me one sec." He dove back under and out of sight just as a huge black shape surged towards the surface after him. The waves churned around a spiked fin as it sliced through the water before disappearing underneath the pathways and out of sight.

Moses, hanging onto a pillar for support, looked to the water in startled fear, "Da hell was that thing!"

Jay, nearly stumbling into the water as he answered him. "Probably the large monster you were speaking of earlier."

"Oh my god, there's a giant fish in the lake and it wants to eat us!" Norma nearly cried as she crouched close to the ground in slight panic.

Shirley looked down at the dark shape in the clear water, chasing Walter around in the water. Looking at the feather quill she used to write out incantations for spells in her bag, her eyes hardened in that stubborn way whenever she put her mind to something. Plucking it from the little bag, she wrote out a quick incantation for a spell in the air, focusing on a distant pillar near the opposite wall. "Fireball!"

A large pinkish-red ball of fire shot out of her hands towards the wall behind them, closely followed by two more. They hit the coral-red wall, weakening a chunk of the wall enough that a large piece fell into the water with a colossal splash. The shape that was chasing the other Ferines paused briefly in it's pursuit, curious of the loud noise, and turned to speed off in that direction.

"Hey Shirley, why'd ya shoot the wall?" Moses asked curiously, his head slightly tilted to one side.

Jay caught on nearly immediately, "A distraction…"

Very soon after Shirley shot off another volley of fireballs towards the outer walls behind them, a voice called to them from the side of the platforms, "Hey! Care to pull me up before that thing comes back and eats me?"

Norma looked over the edge at Walter, whom was giving her an impatient look. Nearly laying on the ground, she grabbed his hand and pulled, but not quite enough that she could lift him out of the water. A few moments later, Moses joined her in helping the soaked Ferines out of the water.

Walter sat back, the slight blue glow of his hair finally fading back to it's familiar platinum-blond color. Water dripped into his eyes and he swiped the wet bangs away as he looked at the water. "Well, you were right, bandit. There was a monster living in the lake…"

"Ha! So I was right!" Moses pumped a fist into the air while Jay gave him a very dry look. "Moses, that just means that there's something in the lake that can kill us. That isn't a good thing…" He said, his head whipping up as a fin swished along the surface before disappearing back into the water.

"Well, we have to get across the water somehow, so what do you suggest?" Norma asked, leaning back on her hands.

"Well we could always have Wally-" Moses started.

"I'm not flying anyone across that lake unless there's no other option left. And do you have to call me that?" Walter responded, his expression annoyed at the bandit's new adopted nickname for him.

"Yep!" This only made the blond glare at him with a new-found ferocity.

"Enough, you two." Jay spoke up, an irritated expression on his face.

Shirley looked over at where the fireballs had hit the wall across the way. "We could always distract it, then just walk across the pathways."

Jay looked at the others for a moment, then spoke up, "Well, it seems like the best plan we've got, so let's do it."

The others nodded, and while Jay and Shirley stood to the side ready to throw a dagger or cast a spell, the others tip-toed across the pathway. "Ready guys?"

"Yeah!" Norma called from the front of the path.

Jay nodded, and he and the young Merines unleashed their attacks. As Shirley cast a spell and sent three fireballs towards the wall, Jay sent a dagger loaded with an explosive residue hurtling in the same direction. The knife coupled with the fiery blasts of energy ran into the ancient stone, causing a large chunk of rock to shift loose from it's place on the wall. The fire licked the tag attached to the knife enough that it ignited, creating an even louder and larger blast, sending rock and debris into the water with loud splashes. This seemed to be enough to call of the monster under the water, as a small ring of ripples spread out along a path on the surface towards the opposite wall.

All at the same time, the three in front bolted for the other side of the underground lake, careful not to slide across the slippery surface into the water. After them came Jay and Shirley quick on their tail. More then once, they nearly stumbled as their feet nearly came out from underneath them, and Moses would have fallen in had Jay and Walter not roughly pulled him back at the right moment.

After a muted roar from beneath the water made the surface shudder into dozens of tiny ripples, the five were nearly halfway across the raised walkway. Moses looked back and shouted, "Looks like it figured out our little trick. Here it comes!"

Norma's eyebrows furrowed together in an expression that was supposed to look brave and slid to a stop, turning and pulling out her straw in one fluid movement and casting a quick spell. "Grave!" A spot on the side of the walkway glowed for a moment and huge spears of brown rock shot out from it, colliding with the shadowy fish in the water and causing it to veer off course.

"Norma! What are you doing?" Jay shouted as he noticed the lack of her pattering footsteps behind the rest of the group.

"Distracting it, whadaya think!" She shouted back, readying another spell as the shadow swam in a large arc to come back around.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed towards her, and a glow of violet eres signaled another person next to her. Walter waved at the other three in front of them with a frantic motion, his fingertips leaving a glowing arc in the air as they moved, "Move it, you three! We'll distract it for you!" Instantly turning after the three started moving, he chanted Relares in quick succession as he charged up a spell. At that same moment, the monster finished it's curve and shot towards them, it's fins coming out of the water like a gigantic shark.

Norma finished her spell, and a triangle of light appeared atop the water, "Thunder Arrow!" The triangle locking onto the shadowy finned shape as three spears of lightning shot down into the monster. It screeched in pain, flailing both at the pain of the spears and being electrocuted. Still the monster didn't stop though. Instead, it only seemed to rush towards them quicker than before, the ripples around its fin turning into churning wakes, tipped with white.

Finished in his low chanting, the blond next to her steadied his arm with one hand, the other shining as he shouted, "Icicle Volt!" A huge bluish white icicle seemed to materialize out of thin air over the monster. Slowly, gravity let go of it's hold on the icy stalactite, and it slowly dropped down onto the monster with a crash. The huge behemoth roared, its angry cry echoing through the ruin as it wavered from its course, swimming unsteadily towards them as if it could no longer control its movements.

Eyes widening, Walter took Norma by the arm and bolted for the direction of the inner sanctum of the Man-Eating Ruins. "Come on!" The two rushed along the walkway, not caring if they slipped at the moment. The only thing the two really cared about was outrunning the frenzied pace of the aquatic monster behind them, blind with pain and rage.

Norma nearly tripped a few times, struggling to keep up with the fast pace Walter had set for them. Not that she really cared at the moment. Looking back, she saw the shadowy figure getting closer and closer, the upper part of the beast nearly out of the water from how much water the upper fin cut through. With her attention away from the path, her foot caught a large crack in the ground and she fell forward.

Feeling a tug on his arm, the Ferines stopped and quickly hauled her to her feet. Looking over her panting shoulder, the figure was less than twenty meters away from them: too close. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and feeling his wings materializing in the air, kicked up from the ground and shot into the air.

A second later, the huge aquatic shape leapt out of the water with a gaping mouth of crooked teeth opened wide to devour whatever had been in the spot they were standing not two seconds earlier. The fat body collided with open air, and slid back into the water with a splash, leaving a clear slimy residue on the ground. The ripples around the area where it fell into the water settled, with it's maker having returned to the deep.

The two glided back down to where the others were, Walter setting them back onto their feet as the violet wings dissipated away from view. Letting go of Norma's waist, he let out a relieved breath as the other three trotted over from where they had stopped at the edge of the walkway, all gasping for breath.

"Well… that was fun!" Norma grinned breathlessly.

Moses had his hands on his knees as he took in huge breaths of air. "That wasn't… fun at all, Bubbles!"

"I don't like… running from monsters." Jay said with a stern look, panting just like the rest of them.

"Can we go now?" Walter asked, his hair damp and slightly tangled.

Norma stood up a little straighter and nodded at him with her grin still apparent. The group stayed in the small area to catch their breath for a few minutes, then continued into the ruin. Here there were much less monsters than usual, only a few powerful Divas and the occasional Angler.

Soon they passed by the same room where Norma was nearly killed by sleeping in a monster bed, surrounded by the petrified remains of the unlucky people who had come before them. Whether they were treasure hunters, researchers or just a curious citizen, they all looked the same in death. Stuck in the position they had been petrified in: brown, still and lifeless. With the blond among their group looking at the statues with ill-disguised unease, they continued on.

Sooner or later, they arrived in the burial chamber of the ruin, perfectly-formed pillars surrounding them as they did to an ancient civilization years ago, only viewed by the odd individual and time. Bright crystals which reflected the light stood perfectly formed atop pillars around the center of the room, where a large stone slab lay carved with strange symbols. Three intricately carved stone legs stood in a corner: the original resting place of the Whispering Crystal.

Not having survived the end of their battle, Walter had no idea where it resided now. Never having retrieved it however, he couldn't help but admire the room in the same awe Senel's group had when they had arrived here over four months earlier.

The group of erens grabbed a spot to sit down and rest save for Norma, who looked around the room with the same gleam in her eye as she had discovering the trap Moses had stumbled into earlier. She examined a few of the pillars, then the tomb-like beds on either side of the chamber. Rubbing her chin in thought for a few moments, she turned to the rest of the group with an apologetic smile and a shrug. "Well, it isn't here."

"_What!_" The group exclaimed all at once."You've gotta be kidding!" Moses said.

She shook her head, "Sorry guys, but I've looked all around this place and the Everlight isn't here. We hit the wrong place."

"You mean we went through this hellhole for _nothing?_" Walter seethed.

She nodded glumly. "Sorry guys. I didn't mean to bring you through this place if the Everlight wasn't here…" She turned around and ran a hand through her hair, muttering something to herself, "I could have _sworn_ my research said it would be here…"

Shirley looked over at her, her eyes showing concern at her uncharacteristic action. "Norma, are you alright…?

Norma looked back up at them surprised, then pumped her fist in the air cheerfully. "S'ok! We're try harder next time!"

The Merines was silent, blinking as Jay spoke up, "There's a next time?"

Norma put her hands on her hips and nodded. "Of course! Until we find the Everlight!" Everyone looked at each other with strange looks on their faces until she spoke up again. "Alright, on the move again! Let's go!"

Jay gave her a dry look. "Where to now?"

Norma gave him that 'what are you, stupid?' expression again. "Outside to go camping, duh! I'm starving."

Moses shrugged, "Well at least Harriett isn't cookin'-"

Jay smacked the redhead before he got any farther. "Don't insult her cooking when she isn't even here to defend herself... Or her lack of skill."

Shirley shook her head, "That isn't very nice, you two." Though even as she said this, the expression on her face was odd, as if remembering a particular bad taste in her mouth.

Walter looked at her in curiosity, "Is her cooking really that bad?"

"You've no idea, Wally." Norma nodded.

x x x

Finally out of the ruins a few hours later, the group was pretty exhausted. Norma found part of the beach that was covered in drift logs which held a flat grassy spots, which the team cleared for a small place to sleep. Lighting up a campfire nearby, the team talked to each other before falling asleep one by one, the twinkling stars shining above them like fireflies. Few people would have been up this hour, yet one person stayed awake in their thoughts.

Why wasn't the Everlight at the ruins…? Norma thought to herself, watching the skies as the stars twinkled above her. My research said it was there… If it isn't there, then where is it?

x x x

_And that's the end of this chapter. For all of you who have forgotten a bit about the story, the boss of this dungeon was one of those huge angler fish, which is what the monster was… With a few quirks. Really, fighting it head-on didn't fit in, so you'll all have to settle for this little taste of action. As for meeting Zammy in town and going to the Ice Monument, well… that comes in next chapter. See you next time!_

Reviewer Comments:

Shiroi Iyasu: Why thank you~ Really, these four are my favorites of the party, so I couldn't resist having Wally interact with them.

Ranchdressing: So in other words, Walter becomes like Sven? XD That is a rather endearing mental image, though I expect it'd probably be moreso like partners rather then teacher-student. Then again, Norma actually is good at treasure hunting, so wouldn't that make Wally the newbie? ...Hmm, it's a rather interesting idea. It has potential.

PlanetStorm: After reading your review, I went searching for a theory of mirror-characters and didn't find anything on it. However, I'm still REALLY curious about reading this theory. And I adore Walter too, hence why I write mostly about him. As for SenelxChloe, well... I rather like them together, but I also appreciate Shirley as a character, so I'm split down the middle. Probably also because I feel bad for her "Die for our Ship" status most of the time. Also, what with Senel not returning Chloe's feelings at the end of her Character Quest, I can sense something occuring from there. It's just the whole "Wally's dead" thing... :sigh:


	13. Chapter 13: Strawberry Swing

_In light of Halloween being today, and the fact that the normal update is supposed to be tomorrow... I thought, what the heck, why not update today? Enjoy Chapter Thirteen a day early, guys!_

_Original chapter was (a'hem) **OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAND** words long, so I had to split it up in two parts. (When else am I gonna use that joke?)_

_Ya know, I always thought the Fun Bunch was a little cruel for not standing up for Norma under Zamaran's criticism of her… Really, friends don't let friends get hurt feelings. Also readers, if you're thinking Walter is going to accompany Norma to the Ice Monument, with a possible fluffy/dramatic moment happening afterwards, well… Sad to say, you guys aren't that psychic. If you think I wrote Walter as a sympathetic character before… Make sure you're sitting down, I guess... :feels bad: I've almost turned him into a Woobie character, I swear..._

_While I took some liberty of changing around lines, a lot of them come from the actual game script. If some parts seem very familiar, this is probably why._

_Themes are: Never Say Never - The Fray, 'Fish - Silent Cruise' - Yoko Kanno (Ghost in the Shell OST), Strawberry Swing - Coldplay  
_

* * *

Chapter 13: Strawberry Swing

* * *

The group of five came back to Werites Beacon sometime that afternoon, sun-drenched and grinning. Even if trekking through the Man-Eating Ruins didn't benefit any prizes such as the Everlight, they decided to return later that day to town instead of in the morning. The reason for that? They were at the beach, who wouldn't take that chance to have some fun?

Though Shirley didn't want to play in the water that much, it didn't stop Norma from trouncing around in the surf, her long boots forgotten in the sand by their doused campfire. Jay on the other hand, didn't appreciate it one bit when Moses had nearly tossed him into the surf like an older brother would his bratty younger sibling. He hadn't gotten completely wet, but his shorts had become drenched in salt water, which were still damp when they had gotten back. Walter was simply content letting a small black teriques flutter around his fingertips as he snoozed under an overhanging piece of driftwood.

At any rate, the group had arrived back at the city completely content. After a short amount of time attending to their own business, the group had split into their own routine again. Moses checked with his bandits about any dragon sightings they may have seen traveling into the mountains to their hideout. Shirley received and wrote letters to Maurits warning about the recent activity of powerful monsters around Werites Beacon, and to be on guard if they were spotted anywhere near the village. Jay had checked in with the Oresoren about the same subject as the last two.

For Walter and Norma, they checked in with the innkeeper about their now-fixed room, and had bargained a decrease in the cost because of the few days they had spent out of it. By bargained, of course, Norma had given a guilt-trip to the owner who had reluctantly shaved off the cost of the room. What would have normally been a few days had later turned into a full week without rent, despite their having to sleep over at Madam Musette's home for around three days.

After this, Walter forced the girl to pay off a bit more of her tab with the loot they had earned from the Man-Eating Ruins' monsters. Needless to say, the innkeeper liked the intimidating blond man a lot more after that, who never thought he would see any of the promised pay for the room at all. Walter on the other hand, wasn't nearly as pleased (moreso embarrassed) about his praising as 'a good influence to keep his girlfriend in line'.

When he had gotten back, Jay and Walter eventually fulfilled the third condition of Norma's bargain by speaking together in private (with much encouragement/pushing from Norma). That had easily taken a few hours, and by the end of it the two hadn't told her a single thing of what happened. And she was definitely curious about it too: she thought she heard a lamp break in there an hour into their conversation. Knowing how Walter's temper flared sometimes, she wouldn't doubt it was him.

Later on, the whole Fun Bunch (Walter was excluded for obvious reasons, not that he wanted to join anyway) had gotten together at Will's to talk about the issue of the black mist, and afterwards headed for the inn's restaurant to have a bite to eat.

"Maaan, I can't wait to eat!" Norma said, a wide grin on her face as she ran in front of the group as the inn came into sight.

Then not a moment later, Norma came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the street, earning curious glances from her friends. "'Ey Bubbles, what's up?" Moses asked curiously.

From around a corner, a elderly man in a green robe shuffled towards them, his eyes either closed or squinting. The older man continued to walk towards them, and stopped before he could run into any of the group. "I thought I heard a loud squawking sound, but it seems it was only the monkey." Zamaran said, voice matter-of-fact and even a bit cynical.

Instantly Norma bristled in anger, "Don't call me a monkey, old man! And what the hell are you here for anyway? Go back to the mainland!"

He raised an eyebrow and ignored her complaints. Moving his head as if to look around her, hesaid, "My my… For all of your earlier enthusiasm, it seems like you've come up with nothing yet again."

The brunette recoiled, looking cowed before waving her arms at Zamaran with renewed irritation. "T-that was just preliminary research! I'm just getting started!"

The man shook his head in what seemed to be sympathy. "I only hope that you don't spend the rest of your life doing just _'preliminary research'_…"

Norma flinched visibly, but otherwise stomped her foot and glared daggers at him, quivering in anger, "Just shut the hell up, old man! Go away!" She waved her arm at him as if sweeping him aside, "Go on! Shoo! Shoo!"

The older man shrugged to himself, "My pleasure. I'd rather not waste my time talking to monkeys." Turning, the man walked in the opposite direction towards the inner streets of town. Norma turned her head to the ground, her quivering of anger not ceasing just yet.

Moses looked at Jay from the side, "Maaan, those two do not get along. Should act more like me an' Geit!"

"You and Geit seem… close." Jay responded, as if remembering a particularly displeasing taste again.

Shirley looked to the others, then back to Norma, who still hadn't moved from her spot. "…Norma? Are you alright?"

Norma's face was sad, and a feeling of doubt settled inside her stomach. She struggled to regain her composure as she spoke. "…Ya know guys, I think I'll head home for bed. I'm a bit tired from today." She cheered herself on for not letting her voice break. Exhaling a breath, she turned back to them raising a fist in the air like she did during a victory cheer. "All that excitement, it can wear a girl out! I just dunno when to stop, heh heh…"

Jay had a feeling she wasn't being completely sincere, but nodded anyway, "...Well, we'll see you tomorrow then."

Norma nodded, her face cheerful. Raising an arm to wave at them she said, "Well, see you later guys!" Turning to face the inn, she felt her mask begin to crumple as tears welled up in her eyes, that painful cold feeling in her stomach coming back in full force. Squeezing her eyes shut so they wouldn't fall, she ran into the inn and out of sight.

x x x

Later that evening, Walter was carrying a few borrowed books back from Madam Musette's library (with her permission, of course) in his hands. His footsteps slowed to a stop as he paused in the street, noticing a familiar figure walking up the path, fair hair flowing gracefully behind her. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. Walking alongside her was Senel and Chloe, chatting with themselves about something he couldn't quite hear.

Quickly striding over to a particularly thick rosebush in someone's garden, he carefully crouched behind it and peered through the foliage. He couldn't help but grip the edge of the books tightly while looking over at the three, mainly that white-haired one smiling down at Shirley.

"…she knew Zamaran?" Senel asked, a questioning look in his eyes.

"I don't know. It looked like he knew what the Everlight was as well… Maybe they just don't have that great of a relationship." Chloe responded, looking over at the other iron-eren.

"…Norma seemed upset." Shirley mused to herself as she stopped in the street, which caused the hidden Ferines' eyebrows to furrow in confusion. What had made Norma upset? He hadn't seen her at Musette's home, so he assumed she had gone back to the inn.

Shirley looked over at Senel with a worried look on her face. "Senel… Why didn't we do anything?"

Chloe and Senel looked at her with concerned and puzzled expressions, "Didn't do what, Shirley?"

The girl looked at the ground. "Didn't support her… Didn't defend Norma from what Zamaran was talking about. Even if we don't know if the Everlight is real or not, she believes in it. Someone shouldn't have their dreams trounced on like that…" She looked up to the white-haired boy with eyes wiser than her age should entail.

Senel rubbed his head, "It didn't feel right getting involved. We didn't know the situation or either side of the story… so how could we have any say in the matter?"

Chloe looked at the two, and shook her head. "Either way, we'll see Norma tomorrow. We'll talk to her about it then." She gave Shirley a comforting look, which soothed her guilty conscience a little. Shirley was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Senel turned to Shirley, "So, I'll see you in the morning?"

Shirley nodded and smiled, "...Yeah, ok."

Chloe nodded her goodnight along with Senel, and the two left in the direction of the hospital and Senel's house.

Shirley pursed her lips, then turned to walk to Madam Musette's home before shaking her head in frustration, "Oh… What do I do?"

Walter took this moment to walk out from behind the bush calling, "Shirley?" The girl jumped and he shook his head in apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

She looked over at him with a sad expression on her face. "Did… did you hear all of that?" With a solemn expression he nodded. She gave him a sad smile and sighed, "You're going back to the inn?"

"Yes. I couldn't find Norma at Musette's home, so I was going back there anyway. Something happened?"

Shirley couldn't help but pick out a note of concern in his voice, which seemed unusual from the normal Walter she had known before. He still surprised her with how much her previous bodyguard had changed, even after spending a few days around him. "Yes. Come on, let's go see if she's alright and I'll tell you along the way."

x x x

In the room of the inn, Norma was sitting on the seat next to the newly repaired window, her knees drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. The dim light of twilight shone through the window, too late for the sun to be visible and too early for the lamps to be lit outside. The room was filled with the golden light a bedside lamp gave off, casting warm shadows around the room save for the window, where the dulled light of the window reigned supreme.

Her hair covering her splotchy face and red eyes, the girl sniffled and her arms clutched her legs tighter to her chest. "Where are you, Everlight?" She said aloud, her voice downcast and sad. "I thought for sure you'd be in the Man-Eating Ruins…"

Letting her head fall onto her knees, she exhaled a heavy watery sigh. She sniffled again, her expression slightly fearful now. "How many times did I screw up today?" The light of the sun finally disappeared fully as twilight faded into night. Any moment now the lamps outside would light up, signaling the full transition of evening into night.

Norma sighed after a long period of silence, "…I'm not cut out for this. I wonder if I'll ever find the Everlight." She slowly looked up and murmured, "I wonder if I'm even capable of finding the Everlight."

With that line, her mind wandered to an instance where she had become stuck on her Relares research, back when she was still attending the university on the mainland. Sven had annoyed her until he had figured it out, and told her it wasn't such a big deal to run into trouble, or to mess up. You just got back on your feet again and continued onwards.

Then, of course, she had countered about why he still went after the Everlight, after failing so many times before, after being told multiple times it was a myth. He said it was because he believed in it. She didn't understand what he had said, and still didn't today. Either her teacher had been very wise or very stupid with that line he spouted. And… And then he had the nerve to remind her about that stupid incident with the boiled egg!

As the memory rewound itself through her eyes, she felt her stress falling away like an eggshell. The individual pieces would crack and fall off in tiny shards, revealing a newborn yellow chick underneath, chirping in happiness. Norma looked outside at the lamps, and noticed that her reflection in the mirror had a smile upon its face. A real smile, not just a façade to comfort others.

Smiling wider to herself, Norma reached out and plucked her old notebook from her side on the cushion, stroking the leather cover with a grin coming to her face. "I'm stupid too, but nowhere near his level…"

She abruptly stood up on the seat, her notebook clutched in one hand as she shook her head. "I really need to stop moping around." Pumping an arm into the air, she grinned, eyes sparkling with a light of excitement. "Tomorrow, we're gonna go back out there and get to work! Chaaarge!"

x x x

Walter and Shirley got to the inn sometime after the lamps had been lit the evening, and the streets still had one or two people walking up and down them. Walking up the stairs quietly, the taller Ferines rapped his knuckles against the door a few times. "Norma, are you awake?" He called after a brief moment of silence. A heavy thud came from the other side of the door, then a rustling sound followed.

Light footsteps got louder as they approached the door, and it opened to reveal a bubbly girl who beamed at them, "Heya Wally, Shirl!" She stepped aside and walked inside as the two let themselves in, Walter closing the door behind them. "So guys, what's up?" Walter crossed his arms and gazed at her piercingly, "…Okaaay, what's got your tights in a knot?"

His eye twitched at that line while Shirley spoke up, "Norma, are you feeling ok? Better than earlier?"

She tilted her head at them, "Well, yeah, I guess. I feel fine. Nothing a little sleep won't solve-"

"You know she doesn't mean by that." Walter interrupted, giving her a look. "From what Shirley told me, that old man calling you a monkey didn't seem to make you so upset before, and I don't see you as a sort of person who takes that to heart. Be honest Norma, what's wrong?"

Norma was silent during this, and simply raised an eyebrow at him. "Since when did poking at someone's personal back-story become a hobby for you, Wally?" She asked sarcastically.

This earned her an intense glare, which made the girl cringe. "Since it became a hobby of yours to poke around _my_ past, Beatty. Now answer the question." He said this with tension lacing his tone. Obviously he was still a little sore about her continuously trying to get him to open up.

Shirley gave the two a helpless look, "Stop it, you two…" She gave the other girl a sad look, "Norma, is it really so bad that you can't tell us?"

Norma bit her bottom lip, keeping her gaze steady on the floor as thoughts and what-ifs ran through her mind at a million miles per hour. "Can I tell you two a story? And keep it between the three of us?"

Shirley and Walter looked at each other and nodded. "I won't tell anyone." Shirley replied, with a serious expression on her face.

Norma took a deep breath and plopped down on the window seat, gesturing for the others to find seats. Walter sat back on his bed while Shirley sat on the edge of Norma's bed, both giving her their undivided attention. The brunette leaned back in her seat staring at the ceiling, "Where to start…"

Closing her eyes with a smile, she began. "Master was, to put it simply, the world's biggest idiot."

The other two in the room sweat-dropped.

Norma continued, her eyes still closed as she remembered… "He was an idiot, but he was fun to be around. I'm really grateful to him too… More then I can ever say." She opened her eyes. "I was a bit of a troublemaker when I was a kid. I probably wanted my parents to stop fighting and pay attention to me." Walter's gaze shifted to the side as she continued, shrugging and shaking her head. "So, I rebelled as much as a child could, you know? I ran away from home a lot."

"Back then, I thought the whole world was the enemy… I came to distrust adults and society and all sorts of things. It was around that time that I met Master." She looked over at them, and shifted her legs so one was under the other. "I did a lot of crazy things, but Master was even worse. When he learned I could use crystal eres, he immediately enrolled me in a high-level academy! It was a place no commoner like me would've normally been able to attend. Even though he didn't make much money, he paid for all my school expenses."

"Which one did you go to?" Walter asked curiously.

"Eh?" Norma was caught off guard by the question, expecting one of them to agree with Sven's stupidity or something along those lines. "Uh… I went to the one on the border of Corinth and Rexalia. Why?" She asked, blinking.

He shrugged. "Just curious. I was curious if you went to the one that tries to specialize in Relares."

"Tries to… They don't do _that_ bad of a job!"

The Ferines smirked, "Well, if I gave them a rock covered in random bits of gibberish, they would think it was a record of the royal families of ancient times."

Norma rolled her eyes, not quite disagreeing with him. "So anyway, this stupid master of mine was searching for the Everlight."

Shirley was quiet, "So, you're carrying out his final wish…?"

Norma looked over at her, "Yeah, something like that…"

The room was quiet, and Norma looked over at the uncharacteristically still Walter with a slight smile on her face, "So… I just made up half of that stuff right now, but that was good enough, right?"

"You _what!_" Walter yelled, causing Shirley to jump as well. His eyes were swirling with all sorts of emotions, mostly sympathy, anger and confusion as he glared at the brunette. "Are you telling me I got sucked into your sad little sob story, only for it to be fake?"

Norma shriveled a little under his glare and shrugged. "Pretty much. You can be naïve sometimes, Wally!"

Shirley saw his fists begin flickering with violet streams of light, and she panicked. "Norma, that wasn't a nice thing to do!" She stumbled over her words a little, waving her hands in front of her and looking from Walter to Norma quickly.

Norma shook her head, "I was only teasing you guys, relax… Geez, you two can be uptight sometimes." She chose her words carefully, trying not to put herself on the bad side of the Ferines that would be sleeping in the same room as her tonight. "I was only kidding."

Shirley sighed, then her eyes looked up at the clock. "It's already nine-thirty? I need to be getting home…"

Norma nodded, and Walter turned to the Merines, stifling the light of his eres until it disappeared. "You'll be careful, I assume?"

"Walter, I'm sure I can walk home alright. Thank you for your concern though." She couldn't help but smile. Even now he was still overprotective; it seems that passing in and out of the afterlife hadn't changed that. She walked to the door and nodded at the two. "Goodnight Norma, Walter."

"Goodnight, Shirley." "'Night, Shirl!" The two called from their positions in the room, and door opened and closed with a quiet click. The footsteps of the current Merines echoed outside the room until only silence remained.

Norma stretched and yawned loudly, "Well, I'm pooped. I'm going to bed!" She walked over to the bathroom to change as Walter laid back on the bed, his fingers linked behind his head.

She might have been teasing all she wanted, but that was a cruel trick. He thought to himself. He knew parts of Norma's story were true, her affectionate tone speaking about the man she called master said as much. It somehow didn't surprise him that the university she went to was the infamous one in Rexalia that studied Relares either. Much as her trap-springing skills needed work, she was knowledgeable about ruins enough to recognize certain symbols on the walls. Only a trained eye or a Ferines could recognize that the seemingly-ordinary scratches on the walls were, in fact, faded symbols of Relares.

Rubbing his eyes, he heard the bathroom door open and Norma appeared around the corner, now clad in oversized pajamas. She ruffled her hair as she looked over at him, with a small frown on her face, "You're not still mad, are you?"

"No... I'm thinking." He responded, his hand still covering his eyes.

"Careful about that. Your brain might overheat from the strain." He moved his hand up over his hair and gave her an icy glare, twice as intense with his bangs out of the way. He saw her recoil and avert her eyes, "Aiee, you could skin something with that look, Wally…"

A smirk formed on his face. He ran his fingers through his hair before his hand came back to settle onto his stomach, hair mussed and out of his face.

"But really Wally, are you...?" Norma sounded a bit unsure.

"No, I'm not mad for the last time. Though considering Shirley and I were concerned about you, telling us a sad sob story wasn't the kindest thing you could have done." Walter said, looking over at her with calm eyes.

"Well..." Norma hesitated, looking aside with slumped shoulders.

The blond sat up and gave her a level stare. "...How much of that story was true, Norma?" Norma was silent, but bit her lip and gave a little shrug. He sighed and lay back down, "You know. If you really don't want to tell me, I won't force you to."

"I almost feel like I owe you though... What for, well... That one time at Granny Musette's house." She reminded him quietly, her tone full of guilt. Much as he hated how she had managed to pry his problem out of him, she was obviously still feeling bad about the whole ordeal.

Walter shook his head lightly. "You don't owe me anything. If anything, I owe you for giving me a place to stay and saving my life."

"But..." Norma's inner self cheered at his last sentence, but still felt unsure about the whole thing.

"Just stop, Norma. Doubt isn't very becoming on you." He interrupted, rolling his eyes.

Norma paused suddenly, very slowly turning to look at him, "...Did you just give me a compliment?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do something like that?"

"Because you think I'm _cuuute_!" Norma grinned, a blush on her face as she wiggled in place. His deadpan expression made her laugh. "What, you don't think I'm freaking gorgeous?"

"I think you're delusional, that's what." Walter responded, which made her huff in annoyance.

"Liar, you do too." Norma responded with a pout.

"I never lie. And you can think whatever you want about it, you're still crazy." He responded, fighting a smile threatening to appear from her pout. ...She was rather endearing when she was flustered about something, now that he thought about it. Not that he'd ever give her the pleasure of knowing.

"Oh _ha ha. _Very funny, but there's always a chance to start." Norma paused for a moment as she figured out something, "…Hey Wally."

"Yes?"

"When did you start calling me 'Norma'? Didn't it use to just be 'Beatty' or 'Filthy Orerines'-" Norma started, trying to think of the circumstances where he stopped referring to her by her last name.

He leaned up to give her an indignant look, his hair tangled where he ran a hand through it. "Hey, I stopped calling you 'Orerines' a while ago! And why do you keep calling me 'Wally' anyway?"

"It's your nickname, silly! I have to use it, and it's not gonna change anytime soon! I mean really… it'd be like changing Red's nickname, or C's! It fits too well." Norma countered, crossing her legs to give him a flirty smile.

This drew only an exasperated sound from him as he sat up to pull off his shirt. "Fine, be that way…"

"Hey, you never answered my quest..." The brunette's voice trailed off.

It had to have been because she was so tired, but Norma had to struggle (in which she failed) to pry her eyes off of his toned chest and keep her mouth from drooling. Literally, her mouth was watering. She blinked hard, and forced herself to look away as her face grew red. Calm your ass down, Norma! It is perfectly normal for your roommate (very attractive roommate, her mind added) to take off his shirt in front of you. There is no need to stare so much at- Oh good gravy, it should be illegal to look that attractive!

"I need sleep." Norma announced to the world, more like blurted loudly, and plopped face-first onto the bed with a _fwump_.

Walter gave her an odd look as he tossed his shirt onto the nearby chair. "…Ok." He said, somewhat confused at her sudden departure from conversation but shrugging it off anyway. Climbing into bed, he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, Blondie." Norma's reply came from the pillow, though it was so muffled that it sounded a little like 'hottie'.

Walter smiled slightly. Two could play at this game. Thinking to himself, he spoke finally, "Night, _Velnes_." He heard her slight gasp of shock, and felt his smile grow. So his prediction was correct: she did know a bit of Relares. Clever girl…

Norma barely stifled her gasp of shock. She couldn't have heard differently, could she…? Velnes, that was Vel and Nes separated. The base of Vel was…? She grabbed her notebook off the table and jotted the two-part word in an empty spot in the middle of it, circling and writing 'Translate' next to it. Hearing it was one thing, deciphering and eventually understanding it was another story. She needed sleep for that.

_x x x_

_My theory is that treasure hunters need to know a bit of Relares to be able to access/understand some ruins, therefore it is a good reason that Norma would be skilled at it with her seemingly average skills in trap-detecting. Walter saw her partially understanding some very faded Relares in the Man-Eating Ruins, hence how he found out she knew it._

_And so you all know, VelNes means "yellow person" in Relares. The yellow part was supposed to dignify happiness, being cheerful, bright and lively in general. So Walter was basically calling her a bright and cheerful person, which suits her well. _

_And just a warning ahead of time, the next chapter will be **dark.** Since this was all one chapter, the first half was to be light-hearted then have a mood whiplash into a less lively second half. Enjoy the cheerfulness while you can, guys.  
_

Reviewer Comments:

Ranchdressing: If the group were to do that to Norma, she wouldn't be able to walk due to the concussion she'd get! XD And she finds it at the end of her character arc, and she is a very determined person. She'll find it, I'm sure. As for Wally, well you'll have to read on and find out.

Shiroi Iyasu: Exams, eugh... I wish you luck on those. Well, Walter was a bit of a loner who depended on himself a lot, from what I've seen of him in the game. I tried to portray as much in GitA.

PlanetStorm: :blown back by shear size of comment: ...Ok, let's see if I can respond to this behemoth of a comment, haha. First off, this sounds similar to the whole 'Not So Different' trope over on TVTropes, which was mentioned on the Legendia page for Walter and Senel, and arguably him and Chloe. This puts it a little more into perspective. According to my version of Walter, he lost his mother and village at a young age, and therefore also went onto a road for eventual revenge, just as lost as Chloe was as a kid when trying to be the head of her family. And I believe the word you're looking for is related to being guardians. Hint for the future: thesauruses are your best friend!

Second, you remind me of how much I feel bad for Walter in the game. Maurits did give him a grave along with Fenimore though. Maurits may be a manipulative bastard, but he wasn't that cruel... Walter wasn't written in more because he was originally supposed to be a playable character, but it might have interfered with Grune's story arc and Shirley wouldn't have had a chance to shine. Therefore he got bumped off to a secondary character in the main story, and his attitude and determined/stubborn personality made it so that he wasn't able to be redeemed. Personally, I think his 'support system' would have been Fenimore had the two stayed alive long enough: she was the probably the closest Ferines to him besides Shirley and Maurits, and I couldn't have seen him hooking up with any Orerines any time soon.

Third, no worries on not remembering all of it: you gave me enough material to make me incredibly interested now. I can see why that would have made you a fan of Chloe/Wally. Really, it's very good brain-food for possible story ideas. Thanks for liking the chapter, by the way!


	14. Chapter 14: Death and All his Friends

_Oh you guys have no idea how hard this chapter was to type out. Nothing came out right, I swear, and I just wanted it over and done with. As a result, it came out really wangsty and not up to my personal standards, so I apologize about that. All the happiness from last chapter is absent in this one, like I said... And we get a few questions answered._

_I'm horrible to Walter. Truly I am. ;^;_

_Themes are: Death and All his Friends - Coldplay, Glosoli - Sigur Ros, A Modern Myth - 30 Seconds to Mars_

* * *

Chapter 14: Death and All his Friends

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Sometime later that night, somewhere between 'unreasonably late' and 'too damn early', someone awoke with a muffled scream. Hands frantically grasped for something in the air before its owner slowly realizing they were no longer falling. With a shuddering breath, a man with blue eyes opened them and stared unseeingly at the ceiling. Even the faint light the streetlamps gave off through the window didn't do anything to change the image of falling from the edge of the world in his mind.

Walter willed himself out of bed and he stumbled over to the bathroom like a zombie risen from the grave. Which, he reminded himself once again, was basically what he was. A ghost of his former self. No matter how good he was in this new life of his, unless he fixed whatever task he was supposed to complete, he would remain just that: a ghost.

Luckily for him, he figured out what that task was.

Turning on the faucet, he splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up before the visions of his nightmare came back in full force. Straining to open his eyes in the bright light, he squinted into the face of someone who looked like they'd seen a ghost. Struggling to breathe, he clutched the edge of the sink as his chest felt like it would explode. His knuckles were white as he held onto the porcelain as if at any moment, he would fall again, with nothing to wake him up.

Walter has had nightmares before, terrible ones that still make him bite his cheek to keep from screaming. For someone of only eighteen, he's seen more then most have in their lifetimes. He's commanded armies in a war, spied for Maurits and nearly died at least once during it, lost his entire village and the only family member he ever knew, suffered the knowledge that his race was an endangered species, lost the girl he had grown to admire, failed in the job he was assigned at birth, _died_… After living through most of these, he's gained mental scars for which there was no time to heal. So to say that this was one of the worst ones he has had to date, it says a great deal.

His fingers trembling, he tried to forget, wanted to forget everything that he'd seen in his nightmare, but he knew it was for a reason. It was, from what other superstitious Ferines said, an omen.

Clenching his eyes shut, Walter tried to remember what he saw from the very beginning of it. At first, it seemed like it would be another nightmare of the events at the Alter of the Sea. Of Fenimore dying right before his eyes again, and him helpless to stop it. The scenery was different, however. In place of the few coral stones covered in moss, there were glowing boulders covered in icy-white frost. In place of the tall spiraling towers of stone there were mechanical columns covered in glass, the insides glowing white like the ice on top. The sky seemed to have lines of light running along them, like circuits in a piece of machinery.

Through all of the strangeness, that single event which has haunted him for the past few weeks he's been alive happened yet again, himself helpless to stop it. The Gadorian captain stomping towards Shirley and the other Ferines, his sword covered in the blood of the ones he had killed to come this far. His lips moved but no sound came out: this event seemed to always be on mute in his dreams and memory, even though he already knew what had been said.

The captain brought his sword down upon a Ferines woman, who dared to protect the leader of his people, their savior, their messiah. Shirley stepped in front of the blade as the Gadorian was ready to kill her in cold blood. Fenimore's scream of horror, her running in front of Shirley, pushing her back out of harm's way. That cold blade slicing through her abdomen. Her falling into Shirley's arms. Shirley's hoarse screaming for a healer, for help, anyone. Himself on the sidelines not doing a _single damn thing._

The blond bit his lip to try and prevent an anguished sound from coming out from re-watching the memory, which only ended up in his aquiring a bloody lip. What happened next was what changed. The scene froze, and the scenery shifted to a circular white room, covered in ice and frost. In some spots the crystals seemed more aqua then white. Up a flight of stairs came a familiar yellow-clothed girl, a beaming smile on her face, and his heart dropped into his stomach. She looked around, a concentrating expression on her face, like she did when inspecting for traps. She walked around, as the other members of her 'Fun Bunch' watched from the sidelines.

Then, it was as if someone pressed the volume button, and every sound was crystal clear.

"…_over here there should be… Found it! If I push this…" Norma said to herself in glee, discovering the solution of a puzzle._

"_Careful…" Senel warned, obviously uneasy._

_Norma looked over at him, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."_

_Will crossed his arms, "I find that difficult to believe."_

_Norma grinned at them, "Ready, guys? Here goes!" She turned around and crouched down in the center of the room, looking for the switch she had discovered earlier. Confidently, she pressed it. "There!"_

_Suddenly, a whirring sound of a mechanism being activated ran through the room, which seemed too loud to Walter's ears as he watched._

_Norma's expression was one of shock as Senel yelled, "Look out! Get back!"_

_"Norma!" Chloe yelled, her eyes wide in horror.  
_

_A glowing patch of white frost appeared beneath Norma's feet. Several white ice crystals, sharp as spears, shot upwards and stabbed the girl above them. Like in slow motion, she fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, lying unmoving on the frosty metal floor._

"Norma!" Walter wanted to scream, but nothing came out of his mouth but silence. The scene seemed to freeze as the scenery changed again. He watched the area around him change to a place with spiraling towers of aqua-colored crystal, ballooning like mushrooms from the ground hundreds of feet below. He stood upon a flat platform, and he found that he could actually move. His brows furrowed, disturbed that when he stepped along the cold crystal, his footsteps made no echoing sounds.

Looking around at his surroundings, he saw someone limp around a corner and out of sight. Slowly took a few steps, the blond eren ran after them. The two went down a steep slope, down into the depths of the crystal towers. Looking at his surroundings, he figured out where he was at. The Crystal Forest. He had merely passed through this place while attempting to take Shirley to Maurits, but otherwise had never been anywhere lower than the normal path.

The two went down this less-traveled path as the sunlight began to dim, the reflections and light glimmering through glassy crystal the only source of light at the depths of the forest. At last, he saw who he had been tailing, facedown and not moving. He recognized the figure, yellow dress, hair baubles and all. "Norma…" He whispered nearly inaudibly, as he ran to her.

"Norma!" Walter spoke to her sharply, earning no response. Looking her over, he saw her body slightly trembling, her breath shallow and eyes shut in pain. Blinking, he tried to touch her shoulder to turn her over, but his hand went straight through her. The Ferines recoiled away from her, staring at his hand like he'd been burned. His hand… It had gone right through her, like… Like he was a ghost.

He felt like his heart stopped. He stared down at the girl, unable to touch her, unable to speak to her, only able to watch as she faded away from this life into the next, and not being able to do anything about it.

He saw a strange black mist form around the area where Norma lay, which gathered into a spot next to her. It heightened and became shaped like a human figure. The mist cleared, and a women in a black dress and mask stood before the two, a blue braid trailing down her back. She walked the two feet to her, her heels making no clacking noise at all. She knelt next to the girl and gathered her up in her arms, her hand brushing against the girl's cheek.

"_My child, you seem so tired…" _A voice a silky as ebony spoke softly, its soothing nature making Walter's skin crawl. _"I shall grant you eternal rest." _The woman's long fingers brushed against Norma' cheek, eliciting a smile out of her before her trembling stopped and the only thing he could hear was her heartbeat, becoming fainter and fainter.

Walter watched, shocked still. His wide eyes couldn't help watching as she slowly turned her gaze upon him, staring into his soul with those dark fathomless eyes. _"You do not belong here." _She said, her voice sliding across his skin like snakes. She waved a hand over him, and the scenery seemed to peel away like paint, revealing a black void beneath. _"Disappear."_

With that single command, the world exploded into crackling strips of color, the world fading around him as he fell back into the dark empty abyss he had only just escaped from.

The Ferines was silent, standing over the sink as the memory washed over him again. He slowly let go of the sink and backed into the wall, sliding down it as he raised a trembling hand to his hair. Clenching his eyes shut, he felt something drop from them, sliding down his cheek and dripping off the edge of his chin.

He had it. He'd finally found out what he was supposed to do… But why did it feel so much harder then he thought?

In an unknown amount of time in the future, Norma would go to the Crystal Forest alone, collapse in its depths and pass on in the arms of a shadowy woman. He would either save her life, or return to the abyss where he came from. Back into that floating mass of black nothing, to stay there until eternity ended. Unless he saved Norma.

Walter clenched his jaw shut, struggling to keep his eyes from releasing more tears and failing miserably. Giving up, he ran his fingers through his hair and leaned his head back against the wall. He knew what his job was, now he hoping to Nerifes or whatever other entity there was in this world that he could perform it.

Either he succeeded… or he would bring Norma down with him.

x x x

Very early in the morning, a girl rolled over in bed, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. After a few more minutes, her amber-colored eyes opened and she huffed quietly to herself. After around an hour of trying, Chloe gave up in going back to sleep. Her mind wandered too much for her to relax.

Turning her head, she tried to see the small analog clock next to the door in the dim light. The hour hand wasn't quite at five-o-clock yet, and the sun wouldn't rise until another hour or so. Groaning, Chloe closed her eyes and simply lay there, trying to let her restless mind rest.

After another five minutes, she gave up all together and pulled the sheets off of her. Showering and donned in her normal attire, she walked downstairs where a few minutes later decided to boil water for either coffee or tea: whichever would wake her up the fastest. Sitting down in the empty lobby, she brushed through her hair sleepily while her drink brewed.

Knowing Norma, she'd organize another one of her treasure hunts for the Everlight, thought the swordswoman as she enjoyed the warm drink that had finished brewing. It wasn't as if she disliked them or anything, but… The places Norma led the group to were dangerous, and they had ended up with nothing each time. It seemed like the crystal eren… it seemed like she was running out of places to look.

Chloe looked up at the ceiling. Was the Everlight even real? Yes, it was a legend, but many legends were just myths in the end. Was Norma's dream just another one of them? Looking down at her mug, she frowned to herself. She was starting to get a headache from all these thoughts running through her head. Swallowing the last of her drink, she placed her hat in its normal spot on her head, attached her sheathed sword to her belt and left the hospital.

Walking down one of the streets, the knight paused at the path which led to Lumen Spring, wondering if the bakery was open yet. She could kill some time slaying a few monsters outside of town, or do what Norma would do and stuff herself with hot out-of-the-oven pastries. Nodding to herself for the easier, she turned for the bakery and started walking again.

It was pretty dark out still. Though the grey cloudy sky had begun to brighten just slightly on the horizon, the lamps had been extinguished sometime earlier, and the streets were dark enough she couldn't make out details in the distance. This wasn't helped by the light misty rain that rained on her. Her heels echoing against the cobblestone, her footsteps were the only thing she heard apart from the first birds waking up. The trees and plants in the gardens on either side of the path were covered in tiny dewdrops, dropping off in little plip-plops onto the ground.

Chloe made to cover her arms with her cape, shivering at the chilly temperature. Well, it certainly looked like Autumn was just around the corner, what with the cool damp weather they've been having on the Legacy. Rubbing her arms to ease some warmth into them, she finally arrived at the bakery. Unfortunately for her, while the owner was up and awake, he was still busy baking the day's wares, and wouldn't be open for at least another half hour. Disappointed, Chloe left the building and let her feet lead her in a random direction.

That direction just so happened to be the Fountain, which was wet, dark and deserted, filled only with the quiet sounds of water trickling. Yawning quietly to herself, she rubbed her eyes and was about to walk to a corner when she saw an unfamiliar shape in the dark. Looking closer, it turned out to be a human shape… A man sitting on the ledge over the canal, his cloak wrapped around himself with a leg stretched out over the side of the wall. A small violet light hovered around him, and an outline of dark wings curled around him like a blanket. Wings… Like a teriques.

Chloe was sorely tempted to take a step back and go wake Raynard and Coolidge and the others, but her feet stay planted where they were. So, Walter really was around, and he was right her in front of her. She'd have a chance to find out… well, why he was alive and kicking, for one. A million questions rolled around in her mind she had been curious about, and she finally had a chance to corner him about it. Then why were her feet not budging from their spot?

Swallowing, she took careful steps so her heeled boots wouldn't make too much of a sound as she approached him. Looking closer, the Ferines looked like he was clad in the same clothing from when he had kidnapped Shirley and first battled them in the Underground Tunnel. Why was he wearing his old Orerines clothing? His pristine blond hair was tangled, as if he hadn't bothered to brush it this morning, and was damp and dripping water. Really, most of him was soaked, so she assumed he had just been sitting here for a while.

Giving the man a strange look, she stopped walking until she was close to 10 meters away. She was already closer than what she thought he would allow, but… He wasn't moving to flee or fight. He didn't so much as budge, his violet teriques wings didn't even twitch. He just sat there quietly, his wings curled up around his form in a comforting way and his head resting against his drawn-up knee.

Chloe swallowed. She was getting tired of the silence, and her headache was getting worse. Ready to pull out her blade if anything happened, she spoke. "…Walter." It came out more like a statement then a question, but at least it broke the silence.

Walter's black wings twitched, and fluttered a moment before remaining in their place. Slowly, his head turned and gazed at her out of the corner of his eyes, which surprised her in their lack of judging or bitterness. Really, she only saw a melancholy light in his eyes. Turning back to stare into the water of the canal, he finally spoke up, "What do you want, Valens?"

Hesitating for a moment, she cleared her throat and spoke, "Well for one, I'm wondering exactly what you're doing here, and how you're even alive, for that matter. I would have thought you'd be at the Village of the Ferines, and yet you're here."

The blond didn't answer, but continued to stare off into the water like it wasn't there. "..."

"…Well aren't you going to answer me? Quit ignoring me!" Chloe continued, both impatience and curiosity leaking into her tone.

"Could you _please_ just leave me alone, Valens?" Walter snapped at her, turning his head enough so he could glare at her. Even then, his glare didn't have as much intensity, and his wings wavered slightly. "I don't have time to answer your questions…" His voice trailed off.

Well, he certainly didn't seem as fierce as he did two months ago, Chloe thought to herself. Her eyes softened slightly. His icy glares didn't even seem as intimidating, and the way he held himself was that of someone on the verge of breaking. And he said please… to her, to _an Orerines_. That was a sure sign as any that there was something wrong with the Ferines in front of crossed her arms, both to look serious and to rub some warmth back into her arms. The mist had turned into a steady rainfall, beginning to drench them both. "…Why don't you have any time? I doubt it's just because you don't want to talk to me." The blond stayed quiet, and she continued. "I'm guessing that you wouldn't step foot in Werites Beacon if there wasn't something you were involved in: is it related to that?"

"Why won't you _leave?_" The blond hissed, the hand draped across one of his knees clenched into a fist.

"Why won't you answer my questions?" Chloe countered, frowning at his back.

Walter's head turned to look at her, expression tight and eyes flickering back and forth in front of him, "It's none of your business, that's why!" His eyes lowered as if he couldn't stand to look at her anymore. "You… people always barge into our affairs, never caring about what or who you damage on the way. Are you physically unable to keep your noses out of the personal problems of others?" Chloe kept giving him a strange look, and he called her on it, "…What the hell are you staring at?"

"You haven't called me an Orerines or insulted me. Not once." Chloe unfolded her arms and walked closer to the edge of the canal to stare into the water not a few feet from him. "You've changed."

The Ferines didn't say anything for a long time. A moment later a small violet teriques with sharp-edged wings fluttered softly in the air. The glow it emitted was muted by the rain, which increased enough to soak the two figures to the bone. His forehead fell to rest on his knee as his eyes closed shut, the teriques floating down to rest on his arm. "…Dying can change a person." He voiced softly.

Chloe straightened a bit at his revelation. So he _had_ died. Then how…?

The Ferines looked over at her and rolled his eyes, "You're as easy to read as a book…" He got to his feet finally, the teriques on his arm whipping around and disappearing. His wings fluttered and vanished also, leaving a drenched figure, blond hair sticking to his forehead.

"Well, what do you expect?" The knight asked, wrapping her cape around herself again. Her arms were freezing, and she hoped either the rain stopped soon or she'd have a reason to get out of it. "You apparently died, and now I hear of you running around again, alive and kicking. What am I supposed to think; that some higher power thought you'd be the perfect messiah or something?"

He coughed roughly at the irony in her statement, at least partially. "Think whatever you want, it doesn't always mean it's true…" He trailed off.

She tilted her head slightly at his coughing, and an eyebrow rose slightly. "…Aren't you cold?" She clutched her wet cape tighter around herself in vain.

Walter looked at her shivering form and shook his head. Turning and walking across the plaza, he stopped suddenly.

Chloe gave him a strange look. Why'd he stop? She slowly approached him until she was but a few feet away, and stopped, checking his form for a response.

Silent for a moment, the blond slowly turned to look at her, blue eyes unsure and apprehensive. His arms were crossed, but in such a way that he seemed to be fighting nervousness. Finally, he quietly said, "…Valens, I know I am in no way deserving of any favors from you or your group, but…" This got her attention, and she opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand to interrupt her, "Please, let me finish before you say no."

Chloe shut her mouth, then crossed her arms in a serious stance, "Alright then, I'll listen."

He nodded, his arm returning to the other. His eyes were averted from hers as he continued. "…Well, I have a feeling something's going to happen in the Quiet Lands, at the Ice Monument. Something… someone will get hurt, I'm sure of it. If not there, then at the Crystal Forest." His hands clenched his arms tightly, creating wrinkles in his soaked shirt. "…And I have no idea how to stop it." He finished tightly, his voice strained to push the words out of his mouth.

Chloe looked at this figure in absolute confusion. This… vulnerable Walter was nothing like the one she had known before, it was like meeting a completely new person. His stance wasn't at all aggressive; his eyes flickered with different emotions and his weak calm expression seemed close to breaking. Her arms slowly slipped out of their crossed position to hang by her sides.

Walter bit his lip and looked at her, "I don't care if you hate me, feel free to. Just… please do me this one favor: don't let your group go to the Ice Monument. Something bad is going to happen there, and… I won't be the only one who suffers from it." Shaking his head, a flash of violet appeared from behind his back as his wings appeared. He turned, and soon shot into the air and out of sight.

Chloe's eyes followed his form until it disappeared into the dark dreary morning, trying to make any sense from what he had said. What would be so terrible in the Quiet Lands that it would convince Walter, of all the people, to ask for her and the rest of the group's help _not_ to go there? Though he may have changed since he had been revived, and apparently the event would hurt both him and other people… But he wouldn't ask Coolidge for any favors. He _loathed_ Senel.

The knight looked up at the grey sky, her face pelted with raindrops. Yet… The Ferines seemed genuinely troubled by this, even overwhelming his pride to ask. That alone was enough to warrant a second glance towards his request. Really… "What could be so awful at the Ice Monument that Walter would ask for our help?" Chloe asked herself aloud.

A shiver went up her arms when she wondered about the possible answer to her question, and it wasn't just from the rain.

x x x

_What a nightmare to write! Yes I know that was a bad joke, but this entire chapter was an emotional and annoying behemoth to try and write. Writing just this one practically drained the entire month-long hiatus and then some to write… It is now four-o-clock in the morning, and I need to go to sleep. Please avoid throwing pitchforks, thank you._

Just in case you guys didn't see my profile for news, I'm updating every week now due to GitA almost being completed. So be happy, damn it! XD  


Reviewer Responses:

Ranchdressing: I'm glad you liked it, though I too had forgotten how mean the group was for doing that... It has a tendency to happen a lot, it seems, and I didn't think that Shirley would just stand by and let that stand. As for your second question, well... You'll just have to read and find out, won't you?

Shiroi Iyasu: Unlikely, yes. Impossible, no. I'm updating now, aren't I?


	15. Chapter 15: Bittersweet Symphony

_I apologize for being slightly late with this one. Family stuff happened, my computer's internet is messed up and my anti-virus expired. So unfortunately, updates will be sporadic at best._

_...Anyways, hopefully this one will be a little more cheerful then the last chapter I wrote, eugh… …Then again, knowing what happens in the Ice Monument, I doubt it will be. Just wait for the ending people! Again, some of the lines were lifted off of the original script. _

_Themes are: Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve, Cynical World - Yuki Kajiura, Exile Vilify - The National  
_

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Chapter 15: Bittersweet Symphony

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Even during the late morning, the rainstorm that started earlier that day had yet to cease. An annoyed look on her face, Norma held her bag above her head as she ran down the road to Teach's house. Her yellow boots splashed into puddles along the street, sending water everywhere as her feet continued pounding down through the empty street.

Though she was quickly becoming soaked from the rain, her mind kept wandering to the Everlight. If her research was correct, then there was an ancient treasure in a temple of ice. It was in a remote spot that apparently no one could really access anymore... The Ice Monument was the only location on the Legacy that had such a connection (or was considered icy), so that ancient treasure just _had_ to be the Everlight! The girl smiled, slowing to cross the slippery wood bridge that led onto Teach's street.

I'll show you, Master! Norma thought to herself with a grin on her face. I'll find the Everlight… "That, I promise!" She announced, just as the large tree in the historian's yard came into view.

Even through her thoughts flooded with treasure, dreams and the rain soaking into her dress, a small part of her mind still pondered about the disappearance of her blond roommate, Walter. She had woken up that morning to see a messy bed and no sign of him. Norma should have gotten used to his disappearing without a word, especially during the first few days of his stoic attitude while living in Werites Beacon, but... Ever since the hurricane and the incidents afterwards, he had stuck around more often then not. In fact, you could almost say he had wanted to be around her more, as often as her friends were. Now he had just up and vanished, without so much as a too-brief-to-be-polite note. It seemed... off.

Reaching the porch, Norma quickly stepped inside and let her arms fall from their position above her head. Water dripped from her bag, and she swung it through the air a few times to get rid of the excess drops, spray patterns hitting the walls. Even then, the bag was still moist to the touch, but it would have to do for now. Pushing her thoughts about the Ferines to the back of her mind, she refocused on the Everlight and grabbed the doorknob in front of her.

Pushing open the door, the crystal eren looked across the room at the rest of the Fun Bunch, settled around the couches in the middle of the living room. Senel sat on one of the larger couches, with Shirley on his right side and Chloe to the his left. Moses was sprawled out on the other couch, feet hanging off an armrest and feigning a sleepy expression. Grune was daydreaming on one side of the living room, while Jay and Will spoke with the group on the other side. Most of the group looked like they too had a wet walk to Will's house, with Moses and Jay looking the most drenched.

The girl clapped her hands together and grinned, "Great, looks like all of you are here!"

Moses shrugged, "Well, ya can't do much on a rainy day like this one." By the look of him, his walk in the rain was the worst of the group, though the messy strands of his hair had begun to clump together and dry.

"So, what have you called us here for, Norma?" Jay asked, his normally silky black hair uncharacteristically frizzy.

Norma fought back a cheer, and instead crouched and sprung back up onto one foot, arm raised in a victory pose, "Alright, we're off to the Ice Monument! The Everlight's waiting for us!"

Chloe visibly stiffened, her normally serious expression suddenly taking a slight worried edge. Senel looked at her in curiosity, then back at Norma, who was still striking her pose. "Are you sure that's the place?" He sounded skeptical.

She lowered her arm and gave them a knowing look, nodding her head. "Of course I am! Have I ever been wrong before?"

"Yes you have." Shirley stated, in a plain voice.

"Oh, yes, many times." Grune added, her expression still dreamy as if they were all part of the fantasy in her mind.

Norma still nodded her head with a huge grin on her face, and the other team members were silent, giving Grune strange looks. Chloe turned back to the bubbly girl still nodding and carefully responded, "The Man-Eating Ruins, for example." She had only heard about their trip's details from Jay, but apparently their camping trip entailed a full search of the ruins, with nothing found.

The group turned back to the brunette. "Did you forget already?" Norma stopped nodding and turned to look at her. She stretched out a hand to emphasize her point. "We could be putting ourselves in danger…" Chloe's face was slightly paler than usual, though no one really noticed this with their attention on Norma. Chloe silently pleaded that the girl would see her sense and not want to go.

"Do you have a good reason for taking us there?" Jay asked.

"'Cause the Everlight's there, stupid." Moses drawled, earning a beaming grin from Norma and a scowl from Jay.

The shorter teen threw up his arms at the bandit chief in exasperation. "What I want to know is why she thinks the Everlight is in the Ice Monument, of all places."

Will crossed his arms, "You have clear evidence based on your research, I presume?"

Norma tilted back on her heels with her hands on her hips, "Y… yeah! Lots!" She stated quickly, a slight stutter in her voice.

Chloe gave her a serious look, a cool feeling running down her arms at a thought running through her head. "You seem… nervous. Why won't you give us the details?"

Jay shrugged, "You're not Moses; you can't expect us to trust your animal instinct."

Said-bandit twitched. "You better be tryin' to play funny, Jay." He growled. Jay turned to face him, and the two were silent as they exchanged looks, one annoyed and the other nonchalant.

Senel turned to Norma after a brief moment of looking at their two team members glare at each other. "Say, Norma..." She gave him a puzzled expression. "Why don't you tell us why you're so interested in the Everlight, anyway? There must be some reason it matters so much to you."

Norma was silent, her bangs shading her eyes as she looked over at the window. Then finally, a few moments passed by before she turned back to them and said, "Well… I guess if you want to know that badly… Lemmie tell you a little story."

x x x

Around the same time, a blond figure was exiting the duct into a large grove of pine trees, his eyes scanning the forest for any sign of movement. Nothing... So the village wasn't guarding the duct, Walter thought to himself as he neared the familiar coral-colored archway, hidden underneath a barrier showing only the lake. Though it helped him enter the secluded village, if he had been in charge not even a bird would have been able to get inside due to the impressive level of security. Cautiously, he opened the entrance of the village and closed it immediately after he snuck inside, careful to avoid the two Ferines appointed to the gate.

As he crept along the shore of the lake avoiding the Ferines he passed by, he thought about his experience earlier that day with the Gadorian knight. What had possessed him to not only talk to her, of all people, but also ask her to keep her teammates and ultimately Norma from going to the Ice Monument? Noted though, he was so incredibly tense from nervousness, worry and so many other emotions that he could snap at any moment. So... he was bound to make a few bad decisions, right? That didn't include revealing yourself to another one of Senel's group, you _idiot!_

Noticing a Ferines by the shore, Walter paused in his mental bashing to hide in a nearby shrubbery (he seemed to do that a lot since he's been revived) until they left. Stepping out silently to check if they were gone, he continued along his way, plucking loose leaves and twigs from his hair. But… He had to admit, Valens was an intelligent person. She would eventually figure out from his strange behavior that he was serious and, like he hoped, would follow through on the request. Then again, the suspicious knight was also smart enough to know there was something fishy about his oddly specific warning. She would eventually trace the hint at her teammates to Norma, blowing her cover and rendering her deal with Jay mute; she didn't need more stress in her life, neither did he. Besides, then the two hours of his annoyed suffering from the dagger-happy teen's interrogation would have been completely useless.

Growling to himself, he finally reached the small grove of pine trees where a few lone graves resided as his thoughts grew more self-berating. "Walter, you idiot…" He softly growled to himself.

You just proved yourself viable of that stupid-blond stereotype of the Orerines yet again by revealing yourself, he told himself as he walked up to the two graves. Norma's other friends may have tolerated him enough not to tell her other teammates, but Chloe wouldn't just let him walk around Werites Beacon like he owned the place. He had tried to kill them before, numerous times in fact. Even when they had become allies, he hadn't hesitated in attacking them with his words when he could.

You really was a bitter person, the blond realized as his fingers ran across smooth stone, a slight chill running down his arms at the dark irony of staring at one's own headstone. Bitter enough that you wouldn't let sleeping dogs lie and attacked them at every chance you got. Even disobeying the Merines' orders and going after them in the Quiet Lands, just to try and get rid of them once and for all. It didn't matter if you couldn't even stand, you still wanted them... _him_ gone. And yet, you managed to ask one of his previous enemies to do him a favor?

Sitting underneath the large tree to avoid getting any wetter then he already was from that morning's rain-shower, the blond brought a leg up to his chest, his fingers loosely clasped in front of it. And so the subject of the Ice Monument comes up yet again… Would Chloe actually listen to his request and keep her teammates, and therefore Norma, away from the place? Or would she refuse, like he suspects, and have his plan blow up in his face like so many of his other past decisions? He hoped she saw the sense in his words from that morning and chose the former of the two.

Walter leaned back against the tree blowing hair out of his face, only for it to fall back in place above his left eye, a few strands stabbing him in his eye. Frowning, he brushed the hair away from his face, and his head thudded back against the scaly bark harder then he would have liked. "Owch!" Lifting a hand to massage the newly-created bump on his head, the blond glared in a random direction before he could be lost in his thoughts again that day.

Unfortunately for him, his luck wasn't the best; that much hasn't changed much. His glare just so happened to have landed on a blond pig-tailed girl who's expression clashed somewhere between indignant, shocked and demanding. His annoyed expression slowly drained away as he blinked in surprise. "…Oh." _Her again._

"You again?" Fenimore's sister exclaimed loudly, jabbing a finger in his direction as she continued almost in a yell. "Why won't you leave us alone? Don't you have anything better to do with your _Orerines friends_?" She spit out the two words like a slur, her aqua eyes blazing.

Walter let his hand fall from his head on the top of his knee as he gave her a level stare. "Actually, I was looking for you, _Irelnes_." His head cocked to one side, he couldn't help but smirk a little as an embarrassed blush ran across her face. She would probably be insulted by the name he gave her, but he didn't know what else to call her. Besides, it actually fit pretty well, if his previous experience with her was to be believed.

"M-my name is Thyra; don't call me that!" The blond girl stumbled over her words, her cheeks red. "And why would you want to see me, hmm? Again, shouldn't you be playing with the other Orerines, and completely ignoring the Ferines' needs, _your own people_-"

Walter interrupted her ranting with a piercing glare and a low tone, "_Don't _accuse me of ignoring our plight, even with the Orerines' newly-founded alliance with us. I already died once trying to protect my race, I won't hesitate to do it again if the need arises." This seemed to shut her up, so he lightened his gaze and continued. "To answer your first question, Thyra, I recall hearing a lot of questions from you after our last encounter. I came to answer some of them out of common courtesy, and ask a few of my own."

Thyra was silent for a moment, then answered, "…And you'll leave after you're done? You'll leave us alone?" She seemed to replace the word 'us' with 'me' in her mind.

He nodded, "I can't say I will stay away forever, as I'll eventually have to reveal myself to Maurits and probably return as a result. But I won't bother you anymore." It was as honest as a response he could give. He knew if Senel and the others found out, they would tell Maurits about the news, and odds are he would return within the week of that happening. As much as it would be a relief to live among his own kind again… He has gotten used to Werites Beacon, all of the chaotic people and places included. And... it would feel strange not to have a roommate anymore.

Her eyes narrowed cautiously, but slowly nodded. "Fine then. So..." She thought for a moment, walking further into the clearing until she was in front of the two graves."You died, pray tell how exactly you are among the living again? Are you undead or something?"

Walter gave her a strange look, "Am I undead...? Are you kidding? You can't reanimate something or someone with their soul intact; it's impossible. So no, I'm not a zombie or anything like that." He shook his head at the ridiculous thought. "And simply put… well, I was given a second chance at life, nothing more or less."

Thyra gave the man in front of her a skeptical look, annoyed he wasn't giving her more information. "Do you really expect me to believe that load of-"

"You'll have to, as I'm not going to expand any further on my answer. Next question." He waved his hand as if to shoo away her indignation.

"Th... that's not fair! I deserve to know, especially if you're walking around causing trouble for all of us!" Thyra was a tad bit red in the cheeks, which reminded him so much of Fenimore…

Walter rubbed at his chest absentmindedly, feeling a small ache resurface. He really should stop comparing the two sisters. "How do you _deserve to know_? You don't need to know a thing about me, Thyra. I'm just choosing to humor you and cure some of that limitless curiosity of yours." Watching her get flustered was entertaining, he thought, even though she tended to throw back some harsh words.

Thyra's eyes burned in frustration at the stubborn Ferines in front of her. "Fine then! If you're so keen about 'satisfying my curiosity', how about you tell me how my sister died for that worthless Merines!" His breathe caught for a moment, and she noticed. "Not so knowledgeable now, are you? Too caught up worshiping and groveling at her feet that you completely forget about my sister's-"

"Do you really want to know?" He asked simply, his eyes staring off into what seemed to be some memory. "You won't find any smug satisfaction in it... The only thing you'll gain is just sadness and grief."

The girl was surprised by how pensive he became, and for a moment seemed to contemplate his words. Though not too long after, she shook off his gentle warning and replied, "Yes, I do want to know." He became silent and closed his eyes in thought, and a minute passed by before she began to grow impatient. "...Well?"

"Give me a moment." Letting out a deep breath and opening his eyes, Walter began. "I wasn't there during most of it, so I'm not exactly sure if it's how it happened or not. According to Maurits, when Shirley had begun the Rite of Accession, everything seemed to go according to plan... Except that Nerifes wasn't speaking to her. The Ferines were skeptical because she had already failed once before, but Fenimore would have nothing to do with it and yelled at them for not believing in her." He held back a smile at the mental image of her yelling at the other Ferines and defending her friend.

Thyra nodded, her eyes drifting over to Fenimore's tombstone. The last of the spring flowers were on their final blooms and the violet cyclamens began to peek out from beneath the dead petals. "Fenimore always said what was on her mind, and didn't hold back when she disagreed with someone."

Walter looked up, his eyes mixed with anger and sadness. "After this, a Ferines staggered into the alter, telling that the Orerines had infiltrated the area. He collapsed soon afterwards, and after that, a group of Gadorian knights interrupted and demanded to take the Merines prisoner."

"But why would they-?" She tried to ask, but he held a hand up.

"They said that she was conspiring with Vaclav, and thus the Crusand Empire against Gadoria. They tried arresting her despite the fact that she was held against her will and that her sister sacrificed herself to save that miserable city from the Nerifes Cannon." Teeth clenched, he still wished that he could have just one hour, even a few minutes to make that captain _pay_… "The Ferines tried to defend against them, telling Shirley to escape, who were completely defenseless. And… they just cut them down in cold blood."

While she was listening to him speak, she had walked a bit closer so that she was leaning against one of the gravestones. When she heard of their fate, her hands covered her mouth and she slid down the back of the cold stone, her eyes watering.

Walter was clenching one of his arms, his eyes distant and flickering with sorrow. "A women had stood in front of the Captain of the soldiers, and Shirley stepped in front to protect her. He swung his sword, and Fenimore pushed her out of the way... She was stabbed instead of her." His eyes clenched shut, and distantly he heard Thyra give a small choked gasp.

He opened his eyes, and saw that Thyra had covered her eyes as her shoulders trembled. He had told her this would happen... "Shirley was calling for help, but no one too a step to help her. They didn't even try… I had flown in at that moment, not knowing what was happening, but Maurits didn't want me to interfere. Fenimore told Shirley something… And she…" His stopped abruptly, not being able to speak anymore. He had a feeling his voice would crack if he did.

A long silence followed, broken when Thyra finally brought up her tear-streaked face and asked, "Is that the truth?" Her voice was shaky from holding in her hiccuping cries, looking at him without the usual bitter anger or biting sarcasm. Her eyes held only the grief of someone who lost their family, their other half.

Walter looked at his feet, "Much as I would do anything to say otherwise, it is…" He ran a shaky hand through his hair, "…And I didn't do anything. If only I had disobeyed Maurits and actually _helped_, Fenimore might still be here. To _hell_ with awakening the Merines!"

His hand clenched into a tight fist, his face anguished. "Shirley had already lost her sister who she just discovered to actually be alive... and Senel turned his back on her to be with a memory of Stella. She didn't need the responsibility of bringing about the Cataclysm, she needed her friend. Her _only_ friend, if what I guessed to be true. Maurits may have thought Fenimore dying was the final push Shirley needed to ascend, but Fenimore didn't need to die! She didn't _deserve_ to die, and..." _I didn't do anything to help._

Biting his lip, he leaned his head back until it collided with the tree with a small thump, his hair sliding out of his face. "Damnit…" He whispered to himself.

Thyra had been watching him during his rambling, and her eyes suddenly widened as she looked at him in a new light, "…Walter, did you… Were you in love with Fenimore?"

Walter's blue eyes opened slightly, tired gaze looking at her for a moment. _Was I? ...I still am._ His eyes closed, and his chin fell forward slightly in a single nod, "…I guess you could call it that." He responded quietly.

Thyra sat up straighter in her shock. This explained everything, from his change in mood whenever she was mentioned to the strange way she would look at her. ...A bit creepy, but she was her twin: they looked identical. Hell, had Fenimore lived then a couple of years down the line she might have even been related to him. …Now her mind really was running away from her. Still though, if he loved her so much, then why was he so quick to defend the Orerines?

Bitterness ran through her mind again, and she frowned, wiping away the tear tracks on her face. "Why are you so forgiving of the Orerines then, if you really were in love with my sister?"

He opened his eyes. "Thyra…" Walter began, but she continued onwards, her anger beginning to rule her mind yet again.

"Don't start with me, Walter! The Orerines were the ones to kill Fenimore… So why are you defending them? You know they've committed countless crimes against us, killed our race and have done horrible things to the Ferines. Don't they deserve the same treatment? Don't they deserve to be killed just like we were?" She argued, her voice rising as she spoke.

"'An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind'…" He answered simply, his eyes trained to a random spot in the village behind her.

"What was that?" She blinked, not understanding his line.

Walter brought his gaze back to her, "You say the Orerines deserve to be killed, but could you really inflict the same pain on the people of the mainland that you've experienced?"

"Easily!" She countered back at once, and he shook his head.

"Think about it... Could you possibly kill a defenseless family? Tear apart a pair of sisters to satisfy your bitter need for revenge? They aren't so different from the Ferines; they feel just as easily as you and I. Going through with the Cataclysm would sacrifice millions of innocent people, just to take care of a few."

Thyra recoiled away from the blond, not believing what she was hearing, "Has living with the Orerines corrupted you…? Maurits said that you were probably the most hateful and vengeful of the Ferines when he spoke of you, so why are you speaking like that?"

He shrugged, a small smirk lighting his face, "Dying can change your views on life." Slowly standing up, he stretched as he continued decimating her argument. "Have you seen the sea, Thyra? Nerifes approved of Shirley's choice not to go through with the Cataclysm. Fenimore accepted Shirley and her friends-"

"You're lying!" Thyra suddenly exclaimed.

Walter's gaze was cold once again, "I _never_ lie, Thyra. Make sure you learn that. Fenimore opened her heart to Senel and his friends, and learned to forgive." Thyra's expression fell, and his eyes softened as he approached her. He offered her a hand, and she hesitated for a moment before taking it. He pulled her up, and walked around the graves until he was in front of Fenimore's.

"Forgiving someone is a thousand times harder then hating someone." He said, his fingers gently brushing against the top of the smooth coral-colored stone. "Fenimore was a strong and kind-hearted person to forgive the Orerines, even with you missing and her village destroyed. …Make her proud, Thyra." Standing in front of Fenimore's grave, he said something under his breathe only he would be able to hear.

Giving the stone a sad smile, he turned back to Thyra, who was obviously waging an internal battle with her anger and what he said about Fenimore. "If I might ask you one thing…" She turned her attention back to him, her eyes still a bit harsh. "What is your true name?" She had never told him what her Ferines name was.

Mulling over whether to tell him or not, she eventually answered. "…Welzes. My true name is Welzes."

Really, he was surprised at the irony of her name and her viewpoint, but placed it in the back of her mind. "Hope… Your name suits you, whether you think so or not."

Thyra's cheeks tinted the slightest amount of pink, and she waved an arm at him, "J-just go away already!"

He nodded, a very slight smile on his face. "I'll leave then. Please don't tell about my being here: I'll talk to Maurits myself when I have to." With one last nod to her, he turned towards the shore and began his trek through the village back to Werites Beacon.

Walter's eyes trained to the deepening red sky as he passed through the huge archway, and his smile grew a little. Though it would take a while, eventually he hoped he would be able to forgive just like Fenimore did. And sometime when that happened, he hoped he'd be able to let go of her as well.

x x x

The calm feeling had long ago disappeared shortly after Walter returned to Werites Beacon in the evening, the lamps lit and the streets emptying of all but those who came and went from the Inn's restaurant. Even after a full day, the rain had refused to let up, and continued to drench the city with cold raindrops. As Walter walked towards the Inn for a bite to eat, a feeling of dread began to settle over him. Why in Nerifes was he suddenly so anxious? Was it just the weather, or was he worried about Norma?

He shook his head, pulling his cloak a little more closed as he walked up the puddle-filled street to the entrance of the Inn. As he neared the entrance, he heard desperate voices from inside which sounded like Norma's friends. Carefully standing next to the door, he listened on to their conversation.

"…Only ones that can help her." Senel said from beyond the door, and his curiosity was peaked. Help who?

"Yeah, Senel's right!" Moses commented next.

A voice which sounded like Will's spoke next, "First, we need to find Norma. Let's split up and find her."

Walter heard footsteps near the door, and rushed towards the tree near the lounge, flying up into the branches. The seven members rushed out of the inn's lobby and spoke quickly to each other, splitting up to search the town. His eyes narrowed as the rain began to pour even more, raindrops falling through some of the leaves onto his face. Why would they need to find Norma…? What had happened-?

His eyebrows scrunched up for a moment. Wait a minute... Norma and their group had not been here when he left for the Village of the Feirnes. They had gone somewhere, probably to search for the Everlight. But where would she go? His mind strained for a location she might have spoken of, then it hit him like a brick in the face. The only place he knew that she _would_ go, that he had been shown in his dream earlier that morning. The Ice Monument...

The blood drained from his face as he realized what had happened. She was injured. And missing, somewhere in this torrential rainstorm. And he refused to just stand by this time. Not a moment passed by before a winged figure shot out from the tree and disappeared from sight.

The rain continued to fall into the night, raindrops pounding loudly against the pavement. Even then, it didn't stop eight figures running around the city, desperate to find their missing friend.

x x x

_The name Walter called her meant "Cold Person". He was saying she was mean, not knowing her Ferines name at the time. His "eye for an eye" quote came from Ghandi._

_And as much as Walter was a jerk in the games, he had his soft moments, especially around Fenimore. Apparently, the game creators had thoughts of making him into a playable character, so I think that if Walter had disobeyed Maurits (he almost did anyway) and helped, then Fenimore might have lived and Walter wouldn't have been the jerkass he was after the Alter of the Sea. Then again, the Tales series has a thing about 8 playable characters, so they probably went the route they did for drama's sake…_

Reviewer Corner (only one review? Please review, you guys! I get lonely! ;A; )

Shiroi Iyasu: Yeah... I seem to have a thing for hurting people. It makes for good drama, though I hated that he seemed too OOC for me. And by that time, I didn't know how much longer it was going to be, but it is ending sometime soon... There's this chapter, the next, the two-part finale and the possible epilogue to be precise. So you've got 4 chapters aside this one to read left. ...I'm going to miss writing this story~! :sob:


	16. Chapter 16: Room of Angel

_Guess who's twenty-first birthday is on Saturday? ...God, I'm getting old. So, since I got my internet working, but not my antivirus, lets hope I get a new one next week. Again, thanks to all of you guys reading this, even if you don't review. Enjoy!  
_

_This is where the story starts to turn away from the main storyline a bit. Walter being revived changed not only his part of the story, but other parts as well… You'll see~  
_

_Themes include: Fairyland - Angelzoom, Leave out All the Rest - Linkin Park, Promise (reprise) - Silent Hill 2 OST, Room of Angel - Silent Hill 4: The Room OST_

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Chapter 16: Room of Angel

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Her heels clacking loudly against the pavement, Shirley searched the rich district near Madam Musette's house. The pouring rain made her blonde hair cling to her face, and her shear blouse sleeves had become soaked through. Panting, she yet again ran up to a house and asked its occupants if they had seen a girl in a yellow dress pass by that evening. That she was sick and desperately needed medical attention. And yet again, she had received a 'no'.

Holding out a hand to a fenced gate, Shirley gasped for air as she looked around her surroundings in the dark. A raindrop bounced off of her bangs and slid down her face as worried thoughts ran through her mind. This was bad… The dark night made it hard enough trying to find Norma, but with the rainstorm rampaging through Werites Beacon, the time to find her was cut drastically. With the fever the poison coursing through Norma's system gave her, she wouldn't last long in this freezing rain…

Swallowing her discomfort and steeling herself against that horrible thought, the current Merines swallowed, and once again ran into the night.

x x x

Unbeknownst to the Fun Bunch, another figure was frantically searching for her. After checking the duct to see if she had gone anywhere outside of town, which she hadn't, Walter searched the city in some of the more obvious places she might have been. In the dark, his glowing wings would normally be a bit noticeable, but he had thrown caution to the wind the moment he realized Norma was missing and injured in this rainstorm.

The rain pounded against his face as he landed in the fountain plaza, his flight and the rain both making his blond hair cling to his face. He pushed back the bangs in frustration, his vibrant eyes almost glowing in the dark. He searched all over the empty plaza for any sign of her. Nothing. Cursing loudly to himself, he once again took off into the sky to the next spot she might have been. Where the hell was she? She wasn't at any of the normal places she would go, so where in Nerifes did she go?

Thunder rumbled overhead as the blond gritted his teeth. "Damnit, Norma, where are you…?" Walter asked himself, eyes scanning for that tell-tale yellow figure somewhere in the city. He refused to let another person die on his watch. Not again.

x x x

Stopping for a brief moment to catch his breath, Senel ran down another road on his search for Norma.

This was bad, Senel thought to himself. Nearly an hour had already passed since Norma had disappeared, and she wasn't anywhere to be found. At this rate she would become hypothermic before they found her. Wiping the rain out of his eyes with an already-wet sleeve, he felt a sudden lack of raindrops and paused in his running. By the time his curiosity had registered, the rain had once again begun to pour on him. He looked up at the strange phenomena, and saw a faint glowing shape fly away from him and disappear over a house.

Tilting his head at the strange object, Senel shook his head and continued his search of his bubbly friend. He had better things to be doing then to think about strange glowing things flying through the sky.

x x x

Walter landed a large monument near the entrance of the graveyard, wings disappearing from view. He paused for a moment to pant for breath, and he struggled to stop his body from shivering. This had to be the place. There was no other location she could be at; he's searched them all. Swallowing his exhaustion, he ran up the large hill to the graveyard, raindrops pattering against his cold face.

At the top, the eren slowed down to a walk once he saw the gates, breath coming in heavy gasps. Once again, his clothing was soaked through from the rain, just like it was early that morning. His cloak's only use now was to block the slight wind that blew up from the sea, and from the massive chills that ran their way up and down his arms whenever the cool breeze hit him, he doubted it was doing a very good job. The Ferines wouldn't be at all surprised if he caught a fever from the amount of time he had spent in the rain today.

Walking along the large wall, the gates of the graveyard finally came into view... And his guard was immediately up from what he saw. It was faint to see because of the rain and the dark, but slowly drifting in place at the entrance was an inky black mist. He could barely see the other side of the stone walls through the dark shroud covering it. The Ferines swallowed, a sense of unease threatening his progress. His violet eres quietly flaring to life around his fingertips, he cautiously stepped through the mist and into the graveyard.

Nearly instantly after walking into the area, Walter felt negative emotions covering him like a blanket. Doubt, fear, anguish… They made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He waved a glowing hand through the mist to try and disperse it, but it was of no use. The light made it fade away, but it flooded back into place the moment his hand moved away from the spot. Trying to ignore the dark emotions touching the edge of his mind, he began walking down the center path. His head turned to look around the area, eyes straining for any sign of Norma in the dark mist.

Noticing a strange shape near the back, his eyes squinted as he tried to see the unfamiliar shape. His breath became heavy as the mist's emotions weighed down on him, feeling hopelessness start to spread. He mercilessly crushed the thoughts and stepped closer. After a few more steps, the figure became clear enough that he could see them. It was a tall woman clad in a snug black dress. A long braid draped down her back from the top of her head and an elaborate mask shaded her eyes from view.

A lightening bolt shot through the Ferines as he recognized her. She was that women from his dream… At the Crystal Forest, who gently sapped the life away from Norma and pushed him away into that dark abyss. From his viewpoint in the middle of the graveyard, she was completely still, silently watching a crumpled form in front of her, like a guardian angel filled with malicious intentions. The figure was a girl in yellow, with baubles in her hair and laying before a tombstone… The rain pelted against her still body, and she didn't even twitch.

Dark spirals of light flickered into existence, twisting around Walter's arm and gathered in his palm, the ball of energy glowing brightly. A hot feeling of anger spread through him until it was all that filled his thoughts, dark mist and unhappy thoughts be damned. At that moment, everything else was pushed aside and forgotten save for that single thought of _getting that women away from Norma._

A split moment after he saw his roommate's still form, the blond shot a violet blast of power towards the shadowy woman. The shape spread its glowing wings, and the blinding light disintegrated the mist around it, which didn't return like it had previously. The pale figure looked up in what seemed surprise as the blinding teriques of light streaked towards her. The light was so bright that she couldn't see the mist-free air behind it, and the thoroughly pissed-off Ferines behind it.

She vanished into black mist instantly afterward seeing it, and the teriques flew through the spot where she had stood harmlessly, the light making the dark fog spiral into nothing. It shot over Norma and collided into the outer wall with a bang. Chunks of stone and dust flew from the spot, sharp rocks bouncing off the path and into the other headstones. A few pebbles rolled harmlessly next to Norma as she lay unmoving, as if obeying the command of some higher force. Soon after the debris settled, the mist slowly faded away and vanished until only the night, thunder and rain remained.

Walter let his shoulders slump slightly, feeling winded from unleashing such a powerful attack without even thinking about it. He looked around, noticing the mist had disappeared form the graveyard completely. The negative emotions had begun to drain from his mind along with that hot rage from earlier, leaving his body shivering from the cool rain and worry filling his thoughts.

How had that women vanished into the mist? He thought to himself, brows knitting together as he frowned. No human could have done that, even the shinobi assassins he'd heard about from the mainland. Who _was_ she...?

Suddenly, he seemed to remember what his original purpose for coming here was, and quickly turned towards the gravestone in which Norma lay before. Running past two lanes of graves, he slid to a stop near her to find out what was wrong. Kneeling next to her, he turned her limp form over in his arms, feeling the heat of a fever through her soaked clothing. Her breathing was shallow, and she whimpered quietly as he placed an icy-cold palm over her forehead.

"You're burning up…" He voiced quietly. His eyes caught onto her arm, where her sleeve had hitched up slightly and a scrap of fabric peeked out from underneath. Gently, he pulled it up and saw a wet bandage that had soaked through. He didn't have to unravel it to know it covered jagged wound, which had come from an icicle.

"Norma, what happened to you…?" He asked her in a trembling tone. Sliding an arm under her knees and her back, he picked up her soaked body and activating his teriques. Bright violet wings spread open, and a violet light was cast onto the surrounding headstones. Even in the cold rain, he felt how warm her small form was against his chest, her body faintly shivering and her eyebrows scrunched in pain. Gritting his teeth, he took off into the sky and headed in the direction of the hospital.

x x x

After Chloe had arrived telling of Norma's disappearance into the night, Elsa was worried sick over her ill acquaintance. The heavy rain pounded against the windows outside, and she felt utterly useless for not being able to help. Her lungs feeling constricted, she coughed as thunder boomed in the sky, which seemed to make the rain fall even harder.

Breathing easier after her coughing fit, she quietly walked to a table near the attendant counter, thinking that tea might settle her nerves. The frail girl poured hot water into a waiting mug and dropped a teabag into it, looking out the window as she waited for it to steep. She looked at the stairs, where she knew her father was diligently working on what they hoped would one day become the cure to her disease.

A few minutes passed by, then she tossed the teabag and spooned in some sugar, stirring it quickly. Thunder rolled by again, and she placed the spoon on the table right when a loud and very insistent banging on the front door made her jump out of her thoughts. "I'm coming!" She called to the door. Trotting over to it, she swung it open quickly and gasped at what she saw.

A completely drenched man stood in front of her, blond hair dripping into his weary face. His black and red clothing was soaked and clung to his torso, his cloak hanging like a wet towel around his shoulders. What truly surprised her was the limp form of Norma he cradled in his arms, just as wet as he was. Tired blue eyes trained on her, he spoke, "My friend needs help, do you have a doctor?"

"Norma!" Elsa gasped in shock, then quickly ushered the two in, closing the door behind them and once again locking out the storm. "Wait here, I'll go get my father." The girl ran to the stairs and called, "Father! Someone's brought Norma back, come quick!"

A few seconds later, footsteps quickly walked out from an upstairs room and her father Arnold came down the stairs. Eyes locking onto Norma's limp form, he immediately made a beeline towards her and placed a hand against her forehead. "Where did you find her?" He asked, continuing his look-over of her.

"She was in the graveyard. I don't know how long she's been there before I found her." The blond man spoke, his breath halted slightly as if he had run the entire way here. He was also shivering nearly as much as Norma was, which made Elsa wonder how long he had been out in the rain that night. He didn't seem like he had just run into Norma, but had also been actively searching for her.

Alcott finished his quick assessment of her and replied, "Thank you for finding Norma then. You got her here in time." He said graciously, though a clear note of worry rang in his tone. "Let's take her upstairs."

The blond man nodded, and the three hiked up the stairs into one of the spare rooms.

x x x

Leaning against the opposite wall of the rooms with his cloak hanging on a nearby coat-hook, Walter had a sense that he was dripping water all over the carpet, but didn't particularly care. At the moment, the thought of whether or not Norma was going to be alright had precedence in his thoughts. "That idiot…" He muttered under his breath, his crossed arms tightening slightly.

Why hadn't Chloe done as he asked? Or did she try to stop her and failed? Either way, the knight had proved herself unreliable in some way or another and Norma had gotten hurt anyway. He tried making sure she would be safe while staying away from directly preventing her from going, and it didn't work. He had failed in that aspect, and the first circumstance of his dream had ended up coming true, whether he liked it or not. Who knows how long it would be before the second part did as well.

Just the thought of Norma… Of her bright cheerful self being extinguished. Alone. In the depths of some cavernous crystal forest, surrounded by despairing black mist… His fingers dug into his arm, and a bead of water dripped from his bangs onto his face. He couldn't stand the thought of it ever happening. She didn't deserve it. He'd _die _before he would let that happen.

The drop of water slid down his cheek and hung on the edge of his chin until gravity made it drop onto his chest. The wet spot faded into the soaked fabric until it disappeared. He sighed, shoulders relaxing into a slump from their constant tense posture. Standing around and moping wasn't going to solve anything, he told himself, fighting the cold shivers that rolled up his arms. Standing in soaking-wet clothing didn't help either, though at least he was out of the rain.

Walter heard soft footsteps approaching, and he lifted his head to lock eyes with the young frail girl from earlier. She didn't look much older then thirteen, and she held two steaming mugs, with one held out to him. "I thought you might be a little cold, so I made you some tea." She held it a little closer with a small smile on her face. "I hope you don't mind if it has a little sugar in it."

The blond graciously took it, "Thanks." Elsa tilted her head at him ever so slightly. Continuing to feel her quiet gaze on him, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her. "…Yes?"

She blushed slightly and said, "Oh, sorry! I just… Well, I haven't seen you around Werites Beacon, and I was wondering who you were."

Walter let a slight smile escape, inwardly hoping that he wouldn't have another fan besides Travis and his two friends. He didn't make for a very good role model, what with his previous bitter attitude towards the Orerines. Though at the moment, he didn't much care if anyone knew his name or face, and he doubted this girl would know much about him. "My name's Walter. I'm on personal business here, so… I really don't know how long I'm going to stick around." He replied truthfully, he didn't know how long he would stay if he succeeded in saving Norma.

Sipping his tea, he watched as she visibly wilted. "That's too bad… We like having new people here, my father and I, though there seem to be a lot more people coming here then there used to be. Oh, I never introduced myself, did I?" Walter shook his head. "Sorry, my name is Elsa Alcott. I live here with my father, Arnold Alcott. He's the new doctor here, so he'll make sure that Norma is alright. …Which reminds me, how do you know Norma?"

He nearly laughed at the quick changes in subject the girl had, and answered, "Well, for one, I'm her roommate, and I guess I'm also friends with her. …Please don't tell her friends I'm rooming with her, by the way." He tacked on the last part quickly.

Elsa tilted her head slightly, "Why not? Do they not like you very much?"

Walter looked aside, "Well… Sort of. Senel and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye." Not to mention you hate him, the Ferines told himself as he watched the younger girl nod and sip her tea.

"Don't worry, I won't tell…" Elsa answered, giving him a small smile.

The Ferines returned her smile when he heard the door unlocking in front of them. He turned his head towards it just as Alcott opened the door. Stepping through the doorway, he quietly shut it behind him. "Well, how is she?" He couldn't help but ask, hopes riding on good news.

Alcott exhaled, as if to breathe out all of his tension in one go. "Well, she's stable again. The rainstorm had made her fever and pain flare up pretty badly, but an antidote cured her of it for the moment. It might not have worked so well a few hours from now, so it was a good thing you brought her to us when you did."

"She was poisoned?" Walter asked, feeling a bit of color drain from his face. If she had been poisoned, then… What would have happened if he hadn't found her?

Alcott nodded, "She was, but the symptoms stay for a while afterwards. She'll need bedrest for a few days to a week, but she'll recover just fine." Walter exhaled a sigh of relief. The doctor on the other hand, felt like he's seen him before. With his blue eyes and blond hair, he looked like one of the Ferines that participated in the battle against Vaclav. "…I'm sorry, I never quite caught your name, young man." He said to the blond, who turned to look at him.

"My name's Walter." He didn't hear an immediate response, and looked up to see the older man gazing at him, his expression serious.

"…So you're the one that Senel spoke about earlier this week." The blond stiffened, and Alcott nodded, "I thought so. I remembered the commander of the Ferines forces in the battle of the Bridge Plain also had platinum-blond hair that covered one of his eyes, so it was a bit obvious." Elsa looked from her father to Walter in confusion, sensing growing tension in the air. "So what are you doing here in Werites Beacon?"

"If you think that I'm here to cause trouble, you're mistaken." Walter quickly started, preventing Alcott from saying any more. "I'm simply here on business, and when that's over and done with, I'll leave soon afterwards." The blond said evenly, though he felt downtrodden that even here, someone would find out about him and probably tell Senel about his presence with Norma. She was injured already, she didn't need more trouble in her life at the moment. Neither did he.

Alcott looked behind him for a moment, then back to the Ferines, "You said that Norma is your friend?" The blond nodded, and Alcott frowned, "She probably wouldn't like it very much if you were to just leave, you know."

"Wait, what?" Walter blurted for a moment, confused.

"You heard what I said, Walter. Even after hearing all of the rumors about your arrogance and radical views during the war and what happened afterwards... I see none of that now. You seem pretty mellow, actually. You don't seem like such a bad person, so why are you in such a rush to leave?" He asked, his eyebrows raised at the blond in front of him.

He was silent for a moment, then looked aside to gaze through a window at the dark rain that continued to fall outside. "It's not that I want to leave, I like it here. Sure it's chaotic and fast-paced compared to the Village of the Ferines, but at the same time I don't mind it. It's just…" He looked away from the window, looking towards the door behind Alcott and then back to him. "I'm a Ferines. I don't belong here. And given how much of an ass I was in the past, it doesn't make me a very popular person to have here anyway. I doubt someone would want a neighbor who's tried to kill them."

"What about Shirley though?" Elsa spoke up, knowing enough about Shirley in that she too was a Ferines who decided to live in Werites Beacon.

Walter shook his head. "That's different. Shirley is an ambassador, it makes sense that she would stay here. And given how much time she spends with her friends, it's not surprising that she wants to stay here so she can see them more often."

"And you're no different?" Alcott asked.

Walter opened his mouth to automatically respond 'I have no friends here', but paused. Could he really still say that? Sure he could state he had no one here who cared enough to call him that, but what would that make Norma? And Shirley, Jay, Moses? All of the people he's met here that actually give a damn about his presence, that actually want him around. They don't count as friends…?

The blond was silent through his internal argument, and Alcott took advantage of the pause to look at the clock. "It's getting late. I need to go find Senel and the others and tell them Norma's safe at the hospital." He gave a smile at Walter, who edged out of his thoughts to look at him. "And that a stranger was kind enough to have found her and brought her here. I didn't catch their name." Nodding to the two, he walked down the stairs, and the sound of a door opening and closing echoed up the stairs.

Walter let out a heavy sigh, and ran a hand through his hair. Elsa's father gave a good argument, though he didn't know if Norma's friends just put up with him or actually appreciated him being around. If they counted as friends. Even then, who knew how long it would be before a few hateful Orerines decided they've had enough with the Ferines on the Legacy. He was getting a headache thinking about it.

Elsa looked up at the worn man and smiled, "You look tired. Norma will be here in the morning, so you should go get some sleep."

Looking towards Norma's room, then back to her, he slowly nodded. Thoughts rolling around in his head, he out his empty mug on the counter downstairs, and walked back out into the rainstorm.

x x x

Early the next morning, the huge thunderhead that had poured rain over Werites Beacon had eventually moved on. Rain turned into a light sprinkle and then stopping completely. Water dripped from the leaves of nearby trees, puddles of water forming on the ground in low spots. The streets were wet as little rivers of water ran along them and into the canals, tingeing the normally crystal-clear water of Lumen Spring with the dirty runoff.

As the sun just began to rise over the horizon, a figure slowly opened her eyes to stare at an unfamiliar ceiling. Sitting up slightly, she looked around before realizing, "I'm in the Hospital." Looking at her arm, she noticed the wound had been re-bandaged, and her cleaned and dry clothing sat folded on a chair near the window. Looking down at the stark white gown, her eyebrows furrowed together. That's right, she had left to go visit Sven after…

Norma suddenly remembered all of yesterday's events. She and the Fun Bunch had gone to the Ice Monument to search for the Everlight, she had been so _sure_ it was there! And she was stupid and got herself stabbed and poisoned. She had messed up again, what else was new? The girl groaned and held her head in her hands. "Dang it…"

It was hopeless. Sure she could get better and search again, but what use would that be? She would still keep messing up, risking the lives of her friends and herself in trying to find the Everlight. All of this searching, all of this research and time spent learning Relares, and where did it get her? What did it give her? Nothing.

She had searched for the Everlight, searched until her mind was fuzzy from too little sleep while studying. Until she got injured from exploring countless places. Until ancient Relares symbols strayed across her vision whenever she closed her eyes. And what did all of that work, the time and effort learning Relares, and everything else that drove her towards finding that ancient relic, and what did that give her?

**Nothing!** She had gotten nothing at all in return for her efforts! It wasn't that she couldn't continue, it was that after countless hours, days, months of researching and locating clues of it's location, she hadn't found a single trace of it existence.

Frustrated tears began falling down her face as her shoulders shook. "But…" If she gave up… how could she ever see a memory of her master again without seeing his disappointed face? How could she give up on her master's dream? If she gave up on it, then there would be no one else to continue the hunt for the Everlight. If she gave up on her dream, who was she to even speak about Sven?

Zamaran would have the last laugh in this, spitting on her master's dream like it was some fantasy. Another fairy tale that would never become real, with no trace of truth to it. There'd be no one to prove him wrong, to prove that her master was _right_! That the Everlight was real!

Her head whipping up, she tried to remember her research, what the list of places were that she had searched and thought it could have been. All of her research led to one place, she could see that now. The Crystal Forest: the last place her master had gone before he disappeared. If there was a single place it could have been, that was it.

Norma brought her head up to look straight in front of her, thoughts and Relares spinning around in her thoughts. This was it. She would search this last place from top to bottom. Every dark corner, every shining tree. She would look for the Everlight one last time, this last time, where her teacher had gone missing in his search for it. If it wasn't there… then it truly was a myth. "Master Sven, I'll look this time. Just one more time… I swear on my life I'll succeed. I promise."

Her eyes hard with stubbornness and a clear goal in front of her, she clothed herself before leaving the Hospital, ignoring any complaints that Elsa, Chloe and the others might have given her. She would not give the group any trouble this time, she could search by herself. She didn't want to inconvenience them yet again, or anyone else. As the girl stepped out of the city and into the nearby duct to teleport to the forest, she gave a silent apology to her friends, _"I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry about how much I messed up and put you in danger. I'm sorry I never paid you all back for the stuff I borrowed. I'm sorry I forced you to search for the Everlight with me and end up getting hurt. I'm sorry I got injured in the Ice Monument. And…"_

With one last thought on her mind to her roommate and newest friend, she said, "Wally, I'm sorry I can't help you out anymore, and that I never said goodbye."

The duct glowed for a moment inside, and when the light faded, Norma was gone.

x x x

_Two chapters left in the story now (excluding epilogue)! …I feel sad now._

Reviewer Responses

Shiroi Iyasu: I have to admit, I can go a little heavy on drama and angst at times, though I hope I didn't apply as much as in chapter 14... And you would be right about that last part, Norma & Friends did go to the Ice Monument, despite Chloe's subtle attempts to stop her. Sad that it didn't work, but... Well, on goes the story.


	17. Chapter 17: Trouble

**I have some bad news guys... As you're all aware, I've bee****n having some computer troubles for the past month now. Well... it finally died on me. I had this chapter up on FFN, but the whole of 18 was lost, meaning I need to rewrite what little I had over again. It doesn't help that my new comp can't register the old files I had backed up... So unfortunately, it may be a while**** before I upload chapter 18 and 19.  
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**I am so sorry I haven't been as reliable to you guys as I should be. I appreciate you reviews so much, and this goes to my quiet readers as well: don't think I don't appreciate every hit I get from you guys!  
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**In the words of Arnold, "I'll be back." Sincerely, Bishie.**

**x x x**

_Now, the climatic battle of Glitter in the Air! Enjoy reading: it was just as much fun writing it! And after how much I've written on it, I have a feeling I'll have to split it up in two parts. XD Especially ending it the way I did, which I never planned on but am pleased anyway._

_As much as Walter doesn't curse much, when he's impatient or frustrated enough (especially around Senel) he tends to lose control of his language. And actions. So warnings about that._

_Themes are: Cloud Age Symphony - Shuntaro Okino (Last Exile OST), One More Soul to the Call - Silent Hill: Homecoming OST, Twisted Logic - Coldplay, Trouble - Coldplay  
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Chapter 17: Trouble

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As Walter walked out of the inn that morning, he felt a great uneasiness lingering in the air. Looking around the town, who's citizens seemed to go about their normal routine like always, he wondered if it was just him. He had been haunted by worrying thoughts about Norma all night, and felt lethargic and tense this morning, his feet scuffing the ground slightly. On his way to the Hospital to see if Norma was awake yet, the Ferines wondered if he could ask Elsa for a cup of tea like last night to help wake himself up.

Walking down the street, he noticed the birds that would normally fill the air with their songs were silent. Not a single bird was singing, in fact, he didn't see a single bird in the sky. The city seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

His eyes furrowing together, he sped up his pace slightly as he passed over a bridge, water rushing underneath it faster then normal, what with the rainstorm they just had. The hair seemed to stand up on the back of his neck as he felt a chill run down his spine. Usually he would say he was paranoid and just overreacting from staying up so late, but the Ferines had learned to listen to his instincts. They were usually right, and had saved his life on more then one occasion.

Senses keen even with his lack of sleep, Walter continued walking up the path before he saw a person running down the path towards him: A young girl, her short hair pulled into two pigtails next to her face. It was Elsa. "Walter!" She gasped, slowing and stopping to gasp for breath.

Sensing something was wrong, the blond ran the rest of the way and slid to a stop in front of her. "Elsa, what's wrong? Did something happen to…?" He started to ask, concern overwhelming him.

"I came… to find the others… and you." She panted, coughing through parts of it. "Norma's gone!"

"What?" His blood ran cold.

"S-she just bolted out of the… Hospital, I couldn't stop her!" She looked up at him with worry in her eyes, watery from coughing and gasping from running this far. "She's in danger… The poison's still in her bloodstream! If she doesn't get the antidote she'll… her fever and pain will come back, and she'll collapse. A-and..." She continued, gesturing with one hand while she coughed.

Images went through Walter's head from what she told him. Norma limping into the Crystal Forest, collapsing after reaching a certain part of it. Her feverish and pained expression from last night… Damnit, he should have figured this out yesterday night! Swallowing his now enormous worry and fear about Norma, he tried to speak to Elsa calmly. "Elsa, do you have the antidote? I think I know where she is."

She shook her head, body shuddering from her coughing fit. "I… I gave it to Chloe. She went to go find Senel and the others." Walter silently cursed to himself, and before he could ask where she went, a sudden screeching sound rang through the air. The blond turned to face it, and his eyes widened in shock at the sight.

The trees around the area suddenly whipped around with pressurized air, caused by the huge wing beats of a massive monster flying overhead. It landed on a nearby building, long claws digging into the ceiling tiles and cracking them under its weight. A scaled reptilian head with wide frills on the side of its face looked down at some of the towns people, who screamed in terror at the dragon's sudden appearance. It let out a piercing roar, and flames licked at the edges of its fangs.

Walter stared up wide-eyed at the dragon before shaking his head and quickly turning to the stunned-silent girl next to him. "Elsa!" He barked at her, and she snapped out of her shock to look at him, "Go back to the Hospital and get Alcott! I have a feeling his skills will be needed. I'll go find Chloe and get to Norma before anything happens to her!"

She tried to ask him something but he waved an arm at her impatiently. "_Now!_" Squeaking, she nodded quickly, "She went to the Fountain! If you hurry you might catch her!" With that said, she ran the other way, careful to stay away from the dragon on top of the building nearby.

Making sure to remember her piece of information, Walter turned on his heel and sprinted in the direction of the fountain plaza as his violet eres activated and flared around his fingertips.

A block down from where the first dragon landed, two more had arrived. One sprayed the street with fire, the townspeople jumping out of the blast of heat as it lit the grass aflame. A second orange-colored dragon snapped at a man holding a sword, swinging at the huge reptilian monster when he could. Some citizens ran away from the beasts shrieking in terror while others quickly grabbed weapons to fight. Near to where the second lava dragon was fighting the swordsman, Walter recognized the weapon shop owner passing out weapons to those who had none, with one burly man swinging around a huge broadsword and running towards the dragon with a bellowing battlecry.

As he came close to the first dragon, it spied him trying to run past it and brought down a sharp claw, deep rumbling growls causing more panic from the defenseless citizens. Stopping in place suddenly, the Ferines shifted his weight to one foot and dodged away from the claws of the dragon, sliding underneath its legs and behind it. Leaping into the air, he jumped over the spine-covered tail that swept under his feet as the dragon spun to try and attack him. Not staying a moment more to experience what being roasted by dragon flame felt like, he shot from the spot towards the fountain.

Where the hell had they all come from? The Ferines asked himself as he passed by a swordsmen charging towards the twin pair of dragons behind him. Apparently there have been sightings for a week or so since he fought against the poisonous one in the forest, but why would they suddenly attack Werites Beacon? Did something attract them to this spot?

Shaking his head, he pushed himself to go faster, trying to find Chloe in all of the chaos. The town could take care of themselves: he had seen how powerful the citizens could be when pushed into battle. All that mattered to him at the moment was finding the knight, getting the antidote and giving it to Norma before it was too late.

As if three wasn't enough, a fourth white dragon stood on the stone of the fountain, the nearby trees covered in icy frost. As Walter entered the plaza, he spotted a blast of red eres tear into one of the dragon's wings. It roared in pain and toppled off the fountain to the side of the structure, tearing a piece of rock from the top. Water poured down the broken stone and flowed over the edges of the fountain and onto the coral-covered stone. As it flowed outward and created a slippery battlefield, the dragon rose with its eyes glowing white, seeking revenge on the large spellcaster whom caused it pain.

As it roared, a sword slashed at the chest of the beast, causing it to growl in anger at the swordswoman and claw at her instead. The hit met its mark, and Chloe flew across the length of the plaza. She fell to the ground, sliding across the slick stone to a stop.

"Chloe, are you alright?" Yelled Will as he charged another fire spell to give the other Rexalian swordsmen with them some time to attack.

"Yes, I'm fine!" She yelled back, wincing as she tried to pick herself up off the ground.

A hand grabbed hers, and she looked up to see Walter pulling her to her feet. The blond looked much more like himself then the last time they met, his stance strong and violet eres flared around his fingertips. Gone was the haunted look in his eyes, though they were replaced with an immense look of worry, though not trained towards her. "Walter! What are you doing here?" She couldn't help but ask as she got to her feet.

He shook his head, "There's no time for that. I need the antidote Elsa gave you, where is it?"

The knight opened her mouth to ask him why, but sensed the urgency in his tone and instead answered his question. "I don't have it: I gave it to Senel."

Walter let out a string of curses which Chloe guessed to partially be Relares, and he spoke up again, "Well, where is he now?"

"We split up. I was to go find Jay, Moses and Will while he got Grune and Shirley. We were supposed to meet at the inn afterwards, but the dragons attacked before I got very far. I think he's probably around where Madam Musette lives, in the rich district." He turned his head in the direction of where her house was, then nodded at her and went to leave. A thought came to her, and she called, "Walter, wait!"

He stopped in place and turned his head towards her, "What?"

She hesitated. "…You knew that would happen to Norma, didn't you? That's why you asked me to make sure she didn't go." He averted his gaze, eyebrows furrowed as guilt filled his expression. Chloe suddenly saw the whole picture come full circle, and couldn't help but feel that she saw it coming. Why else would he give her such a strangely-specific request if he knew what would happen afterwards? "I'm sorry I couldn't stop her from getting hurt."

Walter shook his head, hair shaking in and out of his eyes, looking back at her. "The same thing is going to happen at the Crystal Forest, only she won't live through it this time." Chloe's eyes widened. "I know where she's going to be, and I'm the only one that can be there. You all need to stay here and defend Werites Beacon against the dragons."

His eyes took on a stubborn light, the exact same which she always saw in Senel's whenever he defended Shirley. The eyes of someone who had a person they cared about, that they wanted to protect. "I'll find Norma... I'll save her, or die trying."

Chloe stood gazing at the blond in front of her, battle behind her forgotten for the moment as she understood. At once, she saw the last glimpses of the arrogant Ferines filled with bitter anger vanish, replaced by this man ready to do anything to defend his friend, an Orerines of all people. Though, perhaps he's always had that person in him, it was just overshadowed by everything else.

Her eyes suddenly bright with a spark of hope, she smiled and nodded. "Bring her back safely, Walter."

"I will." _I promise..._ "Good luck, Chloe." He nodded towards her, then without a second word turned and ran back towards the front of the city, cloak flaring out behind him. A few people ran into the plaza behind him, and when they had finally moved out of her line of sight he was gone.

"You too…" She stated quietly, standing for a moment more before the sounds of battle invaded her ears once more. Turning around, she held her sword in an offensive stance and charged, her eres shining around her fingers once more.

x x x

"Beast!" A sharp cry rang out above the sounds of swords clanging and dragons roaring. A series of rapid kicks followed by a blast of eres shaped like the head of a lion clashed into the stomach of a dragon, knocking it backwards. It toppled backwards into a tree, its weight made the tree groan and eventually snap under the weight. Both dragon and tree trunk collapsed in a heap on a woodshed, thankfully with no one inside.

Senel took a moment to catch his breath after the attack, swallowing a melange gel to recover some of his strength. Three, he counted silently to himself. He had spotted three dragons since trying to find Grune and Shirley, and he was only halfway from the fountain to Madam Musette's home. Where had they all appeared from?

He wiped away beads of perspiration from his forehead staring at the dragon, which growled weakly as it tried to get back to its feet only to fall back onto the pile of splintered wood. The eren only hoped that there weren't as many dragons on the other side of town. Noticing a huge black dragon with fiery red eyes stomping far up the street, he let out a tired sigh of irritation and ran past the various rubble and destroyed buildings to the large monster.

The huge amount of dragons that swarmed the village had attacked at the exact wrong time, the eren thought as he felt a bottle of liquid sloshing around in his item bag. Norma was sick... She needed to get that antidote soon, and the dragons were making the time period of when they could come after her longer and longer. He was worried they might not make it in time, if the dragons kept swarming the city.

With a yell, Senel let loose a few Demon Fists as he ran, the waves of eres landing on the side of its huge legs. The black-scaled creature turned its dark gaze on the eren in front of it, a low growl filling the air with a rumble. Senel felt a drop of sweat run down the back of his neck. "Somehow, I think this one will be a little harder then the others." He said to himself, before the dragon's growl stopped. Its head rose to screech loudly at the sky, the nearby people covering their ears from the shear volume of the voice.

Senel saw the dragon swing its frilled tail around towards him, and quickly dashed out of the way just as it destroyed the front garden of a house. An archway covered in vines collapsed around the front, and the black fiend turned back to face the eren, growling loudly as if daring him to attack.

"Alright, you big lizard. You asked for it." With a yell, he ran towards the dragon and tried attacking it, only to have his attacks bounce off of the hard scales of its legs. Senel recoiled away from the dragon, pain pulsating through his hands from the vibrations of his blocked attacks. It was like punching a wall! The dragon seemed to look at him like an insect, and before Senel could react a fierce claw slashed at the eren. He was sent flying through the air before crashing painfully into a nearby wagon, shifting the various crates and sending a barrel flying out the other side.

The white-haired eren groaned, pushing a piece of a broken crate out of his face. He sat up slowly, feeling a warm stream of liquid drip from the back of his head. He didn't need to check to know his head was bleeding, he believed it. The splintered wood poking painfully into his back was all the proof he needed.

Looking ahead of him, he saw the dragon growling, its tail whipping silently behind it like a cat. Senel got up slowly, and jumped out of the wagon to stand unsteadily next to it. Looking up at the dragon, he winced. Oh, this would be a hard battle. If only Shirley or Chloe were here to lend some support. Anyone to help would be nice, really. This type of dragon, a dark dragon like the one they fought in the Thunder Monument looking for the dragon whelp, was too powerful for just one person. And he was already exhausted from battling three lesser dragons already, taking on this one would be near impossible. Still... he had to try.

Senel took a deep breath before charging again. The dragon roared at it again, making Senel pause to cover his ears from the piercing sound. When the roaring stopped, the iron eren had just enough time to dodge away from a claw trying the same attack from before. He skidded around the attack, and leapt over its tail aiming to slam into him. An idea suddenly appearing in his head, Senel ducked away from the dragon's talons and grabbed onto one of the large spikes on its tail. Fighting to keep his balance, he ran up the length of its back. When he finally reached its head, he grabbed a horn for support and blasted as many attacks into the closest vulnerable spot as possible: its face.

It roared in pain, and shook its head to try and throw off the human. Senel grabbed onto its horns and held on as much as he could, punching at its eyes when he had a chance. After doing this a few times, Senel felt the soft scales above its left eye tear and a torrent of wet blood streamed over his fist. By this time, the dragon had enough of the human bull-rider on its head, and sharply swung its head towards a house.

Senel's blood-soaked hand slipped from the horns, and he was sent hurtling towards the stone building. He only had enough time to correct his stance to catch himself on the wall before falling on his feet in the house owner's lawn. The dragon in front of him thrashed about, rubbing at its face and trying to get the red stinging liquid out of its eye. Senel took a few steps towards it, and the scaled head whipped towards the sound. One red eye locked onto Senel while the other one was closed to prevent any more blood from leaking into it.

A deep hissing sound exited its mouth, lips curled back to reveal huge curved fangs. The iron eren was wary of the dragon, slowly circling across the lawn back to the path. The black dragon focused on the eren, hisses growing more and more gravely until they became downright ferocious growls. Of all of the dragons he had faced on the Legacy, Senel was yet to encounter one as dark and rage-filled as this one. Considering it was probably a top-tier dragon of the species, this didn't help matters.

The growls got louder, and Senel saw something flicker in its mouth. Hair rising on the back of its neck, he made himself ready to dodge whatever was coming next. The flickering turned into a dark smoke-like flame, black fire licking at its teeth as it grew larger. The dragon began to open its jaws slightly, and its head arched back ever so slightly as the fire grew larger and larger, until it didn't seem like it could hold back the flames anymore. Senel's eyes widened when he realized the blast wouldn't be outrun-able, and backed up ever so slightly.

Suddenly, from out of absolutely nowhere, a male voice cut through the air, "Indignation!" A glowing violet circle of light appeared on the ground, ancient symbols which Senel recognized as bits of Relares lined the outside as it slowly circled around. The symbols brightened to a blinding degree and flashed. A huge bolt of electricity shot straight down the dragon's body, and it jolted in pain as the flames started to empty from its mouth. A winged shape of light shot towards its head from farther down the path, colliding with a blast against the underside of its head.

The dragon's chin was forced upwards, and it lost control of the black fire gathering in its mouth, blowing smoky flames into the air. The fire swirled and eventually disappeared into the air, faint sparks falling back down to earth. Its head was pushed back so far that it lost its balance, and fell backwards against a building, the entire front of it collapsing against the heavy monster's weight.

Senel looked back during the monster's loss of control to the owner of the eres. That winged shape… it couldn't be…! As the sparks began to fall down from the sky, he saw the figure as clear as day. Clad in black and red Orerines clothing, blond hair fluttered away from his face from the spell's effect, revealing piercing blue eyes. Walter... Senel thought, shocked not at his being in the city, but defending him from an attack. Of all of the people to save him from the dragon's attack, it was _Walter_?

The Ferines looked back at the dragon to assure that it would stay down, then ran towards Senel with a clear goal in his mind. Senel stood his ground, ready for any sort of mocking words, or insults, or just attacking that he might have in mind. He still didn't know why Walter was alive, or what he wanted, or if he was even on their side anymore. Either way, Senel knew that he still hated him, and he'd be lying if he said the feelings weren't a bit mutual.

Instead, what Walter said next surprised him. "Where's the antidote Chloe gave you?"

"Eh?" The eren blinked in confusion. How did he know she…? "How do you-?" He began to say before the blond stopped in front of him, waving a hand to interrupt.

"I know because she told me, you idiot." He said quickly. "Now do you have it? Or did you pass it off to someone else I need to look for in this wild goose chase?" He held out an arm, staring at Senel impatiently.

Well, he had insulted him: that much was the same. Senel nodded, but his eyes narrowed in the slightest degree and crossed his arms, "Yeah, I have it." However, he made no move to give it to the blond.

He waited a moment staring at him, then shook his arm, "…Well?"

"I won't give it to you."

Walter waved his arms, his cool patience and temper frayed to the point of throwing civility out the window. "Why the hell not? Don't you see I need it! Just hand it over!"

Senel just gave him a suspicious look. "Why do you want it so badly, Walter?" It didn't seem like he had changed a bit, and his wanting Norma's antidote seemed suspicious... Was he trying to cause them trouble again just to spite him? "Don't you have better things to be doing, instead of barging into our lives and ruining-?"

At that line, the last thread of Walter's fragile self-control, worn down by worry, impatience, Senel's presence and a few battles that had taken too much time out of what precious little he had left, had finally snapped.

Vision practically going red with fury like it had at the graveyard, he unleashed all of his anger into a solid right hook to Senel's face. The other eren fell to the ground stunned, as the Ferines in front of him screamed obscenities, "I am _trying_ to save your friend, you fucking **idiot**! Norma's in the Crystal Forest, lost and poisoned, while you're here doing what! Nothing! Not a god-damned **thing**! Your friend is _dying_, Senel, and you're here asking me, _accusing _me if I have better things to do then ruining your lives!"

Senel tried to get up and swing at the raging blond, but another hard punch laid him flat on his back. Kneeled over him, A firm grip held the front of his clothes as the Ferines had a fist ready to smack him again if he tried anything, forcing Senel to stare up at him and listen.

"How **dare** you! What gives you any right to ask me that, of all the fucking things in the world? Need I remind you that you _ruined my life_!" Walter yelled, bitter anger worked up to the surface of his mind and making him feel all the painful memories yet again. "All eighteen years of my existence on this earth, I was appointed with being the bodyguard of the future Merines, being her protector-" Senel had averted his gaze and he slammed him against the ground, "Will you fucking _look at me _when I'm talking to you! I was supposed to protect her, it was my duty in life! _Mine! _And then _you_ showed up…"

A bitter smile appeared on his face. "You showed up when she did. Bright and pure, with apparently nothing against you. Through everything I tried to take her to Maurits safely, you kept interfering. And look what came of that! Not a day later, and you handed her right into the hands of Vaclav!"

"That wasn't my fault!" Senel blurted quickly.

"Bullshit, it wasn't! You couldn't protect her! By the time we managed to save her, Vaclav had managed to fire off the Nerifes Cannon at Gadoria, and they came after her for it." He spit out the country's name like an insult, and his fingers loosened from Senel's shirt, his fist falling to his side. "They tried arresting her, for conspiring with the Crusand Empire." His eyes gazed off into a distant memory, and Senel stared at him like he was a completely different person, having never seen this side of him before.

"They just… They wouldn't even hesitate, not even against a defenseless person, and… those bastards just… She…" Walter's words died on his lips, he couldn't say them. If he did, he's relive that horrible event all over again, and he didn't think he could keep up with his rant at Senel. His sadness would overwhelm him again, and it would all fall apart.

Swallowing his despair not for the first time, he glared down at Senel. "Shirley had finally become the Ferines, and I was the one protecting her. And no matter how hard I fought you, no matter how hard I _tried_, pushing myself until I couldn't even walk, you still took that away from me." Fingers tightening on his shirt, blue eyes full of bitterness stared down at the white-haired person in front of him. "You took away my destiny, Senel. My life's sole purpose. I died knowing that I had _failed_ in the one thing I was supposed to do in life. …Do you even know what that feels like? You lose the will to live."

The blond looked towards the direction of Lumen Spring, his hair shielding his eyes from the figure below him. "I came back, two months later and didn't know what to do. I was a ghost with no purpose. Then Norma found me, offered me a place to stay. Even though in the past I tried to _kill_ her at one point." Senel's eyes widened slightly at his words. _Norma?_ She had been the one shielding him, the entire time?

Walter let out a breath, and Senel could have sworn he _pouted_. "Nerifes, is she irritating sometimes. She's the kind of person who won't shut up about something, about everything. She's greedy, lazy and doesn't know when to stop pestering someone to save her life. Though… as much as she's hard to be around, she's probably one of the only people who even cared about whether I existed or not. For Nerifes' sake, she nearly killed herself from mana exhaustion saving my life. Of all the people to risk her life for, she chose me… What an idiot."

Senel's mind spun with all that he was saying. Norma had given Walter a place to stay. Her mana exhaustion was from saving his life. She cared about him, and from the strange tone he'd never before heard in Walter's voice, he cared about her too.

It was almost too much for his mind to take at once. First Walter was screaming at him with such ferocity he wouldn't have been surprised if he tried to kill him again, then he looked like his heart had been shattered. He was emotionless, then when he spoke of Norma he spoke in such an affectionate tone he sounded nothing like himself. All of this happening while Walter had a fist in his shirt reading to punch him was giving such a headache from the mood whiplash it wasn't even funny.

"That idiot…" The Ferines' tone changed suddenly, staring off into nothing again, "Then she decided to get herself hurt. Poisoned. She went to the Crystal Forest alone, with no one to save her. And then… no one will be able to save her from that shadowy women, who's going to kill her." Senel felt a chill at his cryptic words... Who was that shadowy women he spoke of? Did this have anything to do with the black mist?

Staring at Senel, he raised his arm into a somewhat offensive stance, as if to remind Senel who was in charge. "Don't you get it, Senel? Norma is going to die if someone doesn't go to the Crystal Forest and save her. I took on the task of protecting her life the moment she saved mine… and I'd rather die again before failing to protect another person. I need to give her that antidote before it's too late…"

His expression was so pleading that Senel couldn't imagine this could possibly be the same person that punched him in the face earlier, let alone the same Ferines who tried to kill him months ago. "Walter…" He finally voiced, still shocked over his confession.

"Damn it, Senel, please don't make me beg. I don't think my pride could take it." That slight hint of humor, small as it was, brought the eren out of his shock. And he said please. Slowly, he nodded, and lightly pushed the Ferines off of him so he could reach into the item pocket at his side to retrieve the antidote.

Thanking whatever god above that the bottle was intact, he held it out to the Ferines whom he had once shared a mutual hatred with. Now… He didn't know what it was. After everything Walter had vented and confessed, Senel felt some wall break apart between them, piece by piece. He had never known why the blond had despised him so much, but now that he knew the reasons behind that hate, he almost couldn't blame the guy. Really, when he looked at the big picture, they weren't so different.

Walter hesitated for some reason, staring at the bottle like it would be snatched away the moment he reached for it. Blinking, he gently plucked it from the fingers of the other eren and stared at it. "…Thanks…?" The single word seemed hard to say to someone who he had once despised, and whom still felt a great deal of jealousy of.

"You needed it more then I do." Senel replied with a shrug, looking over at the blond man still staring at the small bottle. The moment felt so strange and out-of-place it was surreal.

Walter was silent for a moment, then look up to speak to the other eren when his eyes widened in horror, the blood draining from his face at the gaping maw full of fangs that was right behind him. "...Walter?" Senel asked, wondering why he looked more like a ghost than ever, then feeling the slightest breeze of strangely hot air behind him. ..._Crap_.

"Senel…" He voiced quietly and evenly, trying not to be too loud or fearful. "When I count to three, duck and roll towards the house as quickly as humanly possible."

Senel had a feeling that something large and ferocious was right behind him, as the crippling fear in the blue eyes of the Ferines in front of him wasn't fake. Really hating his life right now, he nodded his head ever so slightly, tensing his muscles to be able to react quickly.

"On three." The snout of the black dragon slowly opened, and teeth of obsidian shone in the light. The fangs looked as long as his forearm.

"One…" Senel felt his hair move slightly from a breath of hot air, and he swallowed painfully. He saw the blue eyes in front of him clench shut for a second, and felt slightly happy that he wasn't the only one absolutely terrified.

"Two…" Walter saw the same black sparks flickering in the back of its throat, and was glad he was only a second away from possibly surviving the near impossible escape from this dragon. Better say it now before he chickened out.

"Three." At the same moment he breathed out the single syllable, the two dashed out of the positions they had been in as the dragon's jaws snapped shut in the place Senel's head would have been at the number 'four'.

The blond looked back briefly, and saw the red eyes lock onto them, and his shoes slipped on the wet grass in their haste to run, the Orerines in front of him by a few feet. "Run faster!" He yelled as a roar of heat behind him signaled the unleashing of the black flames.

As fast as the two could sprint, the smoky blaze was too fast for them. Just as the blond figured this out and pushed Senel and himself out of the way of the flame's straight path, he felt a searing pain burn its way across the center of his back. A strangled scream of pain left his mouth without his realizing it, and the two ended up on the ground instead of continuing to run. The fire shot past them and into a lamppost behind them, the glass shattering from the wave of heat and the metal glowing from black to orange as the paint melted.

Senel lifted himself up and looked behind him, "What was that…" He started, but his words stopped when he noticed the Ferines still partially kneeling on the ground, his expression scrunched up in pain. Realizing he must have been injured, he "What happened!" Senel quickly asked, only getting a quiet sound in return. He looked back at the dragon, which turned its gaze on them and began towards them. Grabbing Walter's arm, the white-haired eren quickly pulled him to his feet and back in the direction of the inn, planning to question him about that pained yell later. The dragon roared into the air as the two retreated for the moment.

x x x

Reaching the neighborhood Senel lived in, the two slowed to a stop to catch their breath near a lamppost on the side of the road, a location yet to see any dragon activity, strangely enough. Soon after Senel had let go of his arm, Walter had nearly collapsed to his knees cursing. "Damn it…" Another wave of pain made his vision blurry, and he covered his mouth as if to prevent any more pained sounds from escaping.

Knowing that the blond could take a beating and not blink an eye, seeing him nearly doubled over in pain wasn't a very good sign, especially when Senel remembered he knew where to find Norma. "What's wrong, did it hit you?" He asked, concerned. The scene of him being worried over the Ferines was still peculiar in his eyes, but that didn't stop his unease.

"The flames did, agh…" His eyes clenched shut again as he leaned heavily on the metal pole. "Damn it, this hurts…" He gasped out, his voice slightly higher than usual from the waves of hurt centered around his back.

Senel carefully pulled his dark cloak away from his shoulders to look at his back, wincing whenever he brushed against the wrong spot and heard a pained gasp as a result. Under the cloak however, there weren't any marks on him at all. Only his cloak had any damage on it, and even that was slight. But Walter made it seem like he had been severely burned. "But you didn't get burned. It's barely even singed." He answered, slightly confused.

Walter turned his head slightly, "That dragon's attacks are curse element, you moron… They don't leave visible marks."

Senel looked back at him, "Even a curse attack wouldn't put you in this much pain though-"

He sighed in frustration. "Of course you wouldn't understand. You're an Orerines."

"What's your point?" Senel asked, not liking his exasperated tone. He was sorely tempted to poke him.

Gritting his teeth together, he explained, "My point is that Orerines and Ferines are affected by curse differently. Ferines are naturally adapted to the sea, it's in our very souls. Sea element creatures are weakest to curse. Even the smallest curse-imbued attacks can cause Ferines a great deal of pain, and… That wasn't a small attack." Squeezing his eyes shut, the Ferines let out a strangled breath, "Well this… changes things."

"Can't you use a panacea… or a gel, or something?" Senel asked, feeling useless to do anything. It wasn't a feeling he particularly liked.

He shook his head. "It wouldn't do anything, because they only heal ailments and injuries. It doesn't do anything for element-based injuries against a person's soul. Only a healing spell would work, and a powerful one at that. The only person I know strong enough for such a spell is Shirley, and we'd have to go past that dragon to get to her." He answered evenly.

This caused Senel's head to whip up in worry. "Shirley! She's stuck near Madam Musette's house, and-"

"Relax, she'll be fine… Even if that dragon goes after her, she'll take care of it easier then the two of us combined." Senel looked at him curiously, and he returned the look with a small smirk. "Cursed creatures are just as weak to sea element spells as we are to curse. Shirley is a powerful eren: she'll take care of it with a few attacks easily."

Since when did Walter of all people think that Shirley didn't need help? "In that sense, can't we just run up and attack it?" Senel scratched the back of his head, looking towards the direction of where they came from.

Walter was silent for a moment before looking aside. "…Much as I'd like to say otherwise, I don't know very many spells, and the ones I do know aren't sea-based. Given that I can't fight in my current condition, I wouldn't be of much use in a fight." He sounded defeated, and struggled to keep the on a straight face. "As tolerant to pain as I am, even I can't fight through this much and still…"

Senel looked at him, "Is it that bad?"

He winced again, and through gritted teeth gasped out, "Pure agony."

The eren let the cloak drop from his fingers to hide the invisible wound as he circled around to his side. "Around how long does it take to wear off?"

Walter looked up for a moment in thought, "Uhm… Usually the kind of wounds I've experienced are less severe, and only take around ten minutes to wear off. This time… I'm guessing an hour, more or less."

Looking at the blond Ferines, who's eyes were glazed in trying to push back the pain so much, Senel decided on something. Norma needed saving, and he couldn't do this alone, not now. Walter could deal with him helping, though he had a feeling it wouldn't go over well...

Carefully wrapping an arm around the blond, his blue eyes instantly looked at Senel's calm face, "What are you doing?" He quickly asked, as if his touching Senel would cause him even more pain. As if to prove this, he recoiled away from his touch and tried to push him away.

"Helping you walk." He answered simply, not all that surprised at the extreme reluctance of Walter's not wanting any help from him.

This earned him a glare, like he thought it would, "You know what I mean, what in Nerifes are you-**Aaargh**!" Walter's legs buckled when Senel poked him in the middle of his back, only saving himself from falling by catching Senel's arm in a death grip. Glaring daggers at him, he stood gasping in pain for a moment, trying to work up the strength to stand again.

"You… Asshole…" He panted angrily, before eventually regaining his unsteady posture from before. Starting again, he saw where his old hated foe was coming from, but didn't like it one bit. The fact he was smirking didn't help cool his temper either. "Fine, where are _we_ going?" He corrected himself, his tone dark.

Senel carefully wrapped an arm around the Ferines' shoulder, letting him lean against him for support, which he now gladly accepted. "To go save Norma." He stated, plain as day, as the two started through the streets to the duct and eventually the Crystal Forest.

Through the contact of the blond leaning against him, he could feel Walter's form trembling against his own, breathing quick and halted. He didn't make it seem as bad from how he spoke or held himself, but from reluctantly accepting Senel's help he could feel a sense of just how much he was holding in. Not for the first time, the stubborn Ferines surprised him by just how strong his willpower was.

"You don't have to help me, you know…" The blond tried one last time, though sensing it was a losing battle anyway. His stubbornness helped keep his mind away from thinking about the pain pulsating through his body.

Senel gave the blond a look, who was careful not to meet his own grayish-blue eyes, "Norma's my friend too, and as much as I know you want to do this alone, you need my help Walter." After a moment of the Ferines not saying anything, he looked ahead of them and spoke, "…Hey, do you think we should grab her a doughnut on the way?"

"Oh ha ha, go on and tempt the man in agony who hasn't eaten since yesterday afternoon." He bit out, though a small smirk had appeared on his face after that. Knowing Senel, that may have been his intent.

After the two passed through the gates of the town, and neared the duct, Senel thought something over in his mind, "…What made you change so much? I can't even recognize you anymore from the Walter I knew a few months ago." He asked aloud, not really expecting an answer from the blond. "You used to hate my guts."

"That part hasn't changed." Walter reminded him, staring at the ground.

"Well ok, I never expected _that_ to change much, but you made an effort to save my life back there. You can't despise me that much if your actions against that dragon were sincere."

The blond kept his gaze on the ground. As much as he wished he could say he hated the eren beside him, was trying to be honest with himself. He was honest when he said he no longer wished for the Cataclysm to happen, so what were his feelings here? "…Perhaps not, but that kind of jealous hate I have doesn't fade easily. Maybe I no longer wish you were dead anymore, for your friends and Shirley's sake, but I won't hesitate in punching you in the face."

Senel winced, still feeling the dull throb in his face from earlier. "Yeah, I don't doubt that…"

"I… I have a lot of reasons to loathe you Orerines, reasons that I don't think I'll ever be able to forget. To be honest, I'll probably never be able to forgive you about some of them, but given time I might…" Walter trailed off, struggling to try and make his words come out how he wanted them to.

Senel couldn't help but nod, remembering himself eventually letting go of Stella and beginning to live in the present. "You'll be able to put the past behind you?" He felt a small tremor against his arm, before the blond nodded slightly. "I can deal with that."

The two stepped inside the duct finally and transported to the Crystal Forest, hoping their mission to save their friend would be successful.

x x x

_I never thought I'd put Senel and Walter within close distance between each other, especially given how in-character I'm trying to make them. Hopefully they didn't seem too out of character, but I tried to take a different spin on them this time around._

_Most of the dragons in this chapter were normal types, but there was also a lava and frost dragon. The dark dragon is technically of the same breed as the Fafnir boss from Will's CQ arc, and as it was only a short time ago since the group fight it, Senel hasn't leveled up enough to fight it alone. All of the stuff about the strength/weaknesses I experimented around with, seeing as how Walter back in the Mirage Palace was a Sea element boss..._

_Next chapter will be the climax of the story, I can't wait!_

Reviewer Comments

Shiroi Iyasu: In the original storyline, the team found Norma taking a nap (...no, really) in the lower areas of the Crystal Forest, gave her the antidote, and she was ok. From what she was talking about (treasure on the other side of a river), she was about the kick the bucket... I'm tweaking it a bit to make it fit into the story, and the ending is gonna be different from the original canon. And thank you for the birthday wishes! The main reason I'm going only this far is... well, look at my other story, Good Help is Hard to Find. I tried followin canon, but it got so boring it became a chore. I don't want the same thing for this story.

Ranchdressing: Don't call Walter's wings glittery, whatever you do... I doubt he'd appreciate it, and he'll probably end up attacking me for it! D: But... He is a guardian angel, in a way... Dead ex-bodyguard with teriques wings. ...Eh, close enough.


	18. Chapter 18: Promise

_I sincerely apologize for being away for so long. I procrastinated, real life got in the way and I lost inspiration along the way in the form of ponies. It was only because of a little song I listened to that reminded me how much I love you guys for reading my stories. I promised I'd finish this story, and I'll be damned if I can't keep that promise! (sound like anyone to you?)_

_So without further ado, here's chapter 18, and what a monster it is!_

_Themes are: Don't Think About Elephants (bonus track) - Inception soundtrack, Cold Blood – Silent Hill 6: Homecoming OST, For the New Lunar Republic - Hymn to the Moon VOCAL MIX (Miu vs. NotACleverPony) and Promise - Silent Hill 2 OST  
_

* * *

Chapter 18: Promise

* * *

Grey clouds that had collected around the Legacy had yet again begun to spray rain onto the huge ship. Only this time, the raindrops were so tiny and fine that it created a light mist, combining with the already numerous amount of water in puddles and with the dew from the trees. The same occurrence happened in the Crystal Forest, where the water had begun to drip from the top tiers to land with a musical plop onto the crystallized floors below. All of the plip-plops of the rain falling through the towering spirals of glass made the air filled with the music of thousands of ringing drops.

One drop, however, did not chime out musically when it hit the crystal, for it didn't hit the translucent glass at all. It pattered onto a girl's shoulder silently; water soaking into the yellow fabric to create a darkened wet spot. The girl hadn't noticed the drop falling on her shoulder, instead focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Her face was pale, and cool sweat had begun to create a light sheen on her forehead as her symptoms steadily came back.

Where was it…? The Everlight, where was it hiding? Norma thought, feeling her arm start to throb, the painful sensation starting to spread up her arm through the rest of her body. She didn't care what it took to continue, she just did. "I'll find it, Master… I'll find the Everlight for you. I'll show them… it's real." She told Sven aloud, continuing to walk down the echoing walkway deeper into the forest.

x x x

Back near the entrance of the crystallized forest, another crystalantula had been kicked aside by a well-placed kick. The enormous spider went sliding across the crystal, legs scrambling for purchase on the smooth glassy surface. With an inhuman shriek, it slipped off the edge of the suspended platform and disappeared into the depths below, pebbles and tiny shards of crystal following it in its fall.

Ready to smack any more monsters that came their way, Senel's fists tightened their grip, eres shining bright as ever. A few feet behind him, Walter stood somewhat unsteadily, but concentrating on casting what spells he did know, staying away from combat for the moment. Ever since the two entered the Crystal Forest, crystalantulas seemed to attack them non-stop, crawling out of every nook and cranny to defend their nests.

The blond finished chanting out his spell and not too soon afterwards huge balls of ice and snow swirled around the area like a swarm of hornets. The hailstones clattered roughly against the hard shells of the spiders, while others hit their marks against the softer parts of their exoskeletons. The few that survived the storm of ice were quickly dispatched by a few powerful attacks from the other eren.

Taking the moment to swallow down a pineapple gel, Senel looked over at the blond, who was closing his eyes for a brief moment. "Hey, are you doing alright over there?"

"I'm not completely useless, you know!" Walter bit back, sending a glare in the other's direction.

Senel leaned back slightly. Just as snappy as ever… "Fine, I was only asking…" Looking at the path in front of him, he said, "So where exactly is Norma in all of this?"

He heard his temporary teammate walk up behind him, stopping slightly beside him, "It was a ways in… She went down a path near…" Walter's eyebrows scrunched up in thought as he fought to bring the specific memory to the surface. "It was on the edge of a large flat clearing, with two long cracks in either side. It was near where the main path was."

Senel remembered the moment that Norma had first joined their party. Showing off her eres, she had split a wall of crystal to let them through to the other side. "That must have been where Norma destroyed that wall…" He mumbled to himself in thought.

"What was that?"

Senel shook his head and turned to him, "Nevermind, forget I said that… She must have gone to the very edge of the forest, right before the exit."

"Oh great…" Walter rubbed his face for a moment, and then started walking with a slight wince on his face. The other eren stared for a moment in thought, then continued after him. "This would have been so much easier if I could just fly there..." The blond muttered to himself aloud.

"You can't use your wings?" The white-haired eren asked, scanning the area ahead of them for any signs of more crystal spiders or other monsters ready to attack.

The Ferines rolled his eyes, "No, I can use them just fine at the moment. Even if I'm injured, I can still use my teriques, case and point being our fight in the Mirage Palace. I just don't feel confident in being able to fight off a horde of crystalantulas without a meat shield."

Senel nodded at his explanation, but stopped abruptly when he heard his last line, "Hey, wait a minute!"

x x x

Walter ended up eating his words a short while later, after the two warriors had been surrounded by a large group of monsters including a few Phyxs and Eryngi who wandered in from the grassy plains outside. A few brightly-colored Peepits watched from an overhanging platform, eyes gleaming but staying away from the fray until the other monsters had cleared out.

"What was that about being your meatshield, Walter?" Senel asked, peering at him from out of the corner of his eyes. "Because it certainly looks like it isn't going to do you much good with all of the monsters here…"

"Oh shut up, Senel." The Ferines growled back, glaring at a rather ugly Eryngi, shooting out plumes of greenish-violet spores as it moved from side to side.

"Any ideas on how to get ourselves out of this mess?" Senel asked, turning back to cautiously eye a hulking Crystalantula.

"Other than me flying off and leaving you here?"

"Not the _time_, Walter!"

Turning off the sarcasm at the moment, Walter thought for a moment. "…It's a rather large group, and most of them save for a few of the phyxes are slow and make for large targets. If we can take out the phyxes, we can move over to one of those higher platforms…" He pointed over to a platform hanging about ten feet off the ground above the clearing. "…Then you can hold them off pretty easily and I can use a few spells to take out the rest."

Senel nodded, "Sounds simple enough…"

Walter let out a breath, "Only problem is getting over there…" He looked over the tops of the monsters before getting an idea. "Senel, how good at you at skipping?"

The white-haired eren turned to blink at him in confusion. "…What?"

"3-2-1-Go!" Walter leapt up on one of the eryngi then propelled off of it onto another crystalaltula, the fungi monster collapsing in on itself in a cloud of spores. Before the Crystalantula could rear up and grab onto the leg of the Ferines on its head with a wicked-looking claw, he pushed off the spider onto another one, wings sprouting from his back in a flash.

Senel finally got what had happened, and turned to punch a phyx away from him before doing the same. Leaping over the giant arachnids, he saw Walter clearing the edge of the monsters and running at a dead sprint towards the edge of the platform. Senel cleared it not a moment after and was right on his tail. Walter paused for just a moment to look behind him, at Senel running in his direction and the hoard of monsters and fiends behind him. "…That's a lot of monsters…" He commented lightly, eyes wide, before flying up to grab the edge.

Senel saw his chance, and leapt up to try and grab the platform, realizing he was just short of reaching it. Instead, he tried again and grabbed onto Walter's foot. Part of him relished that surprised squawk of pain from the blond.

Walter looked down at the eren, who just realized he was still in charging distance of the stampeding crystalantula behind him. Shoving his pride off the edge of the cliff, he looked at the blond with wild eyes, "Pull me up! Pull me up!" Gritting his teeth, he swung forwards, then backwards and managed to swing both himself and Senel up onto the platform right before the huge spider crashed into the edge of the platform, thoroughly knocking itself out. Walter let his forehead hit his crossed arms in front of him with a small sigh of relief.

…Before he felt a shadow cross his vision and see Senel punch an incoming phyx away from the platform. Suddenly realizing the second part of his plan, he leapt into action and his hands glowed with light as he quickly chanted out an incantation in Relares.

Senel turned to swipe down another phyx who was coming after Walter with claws extended, and ended up being nearly run over by a peepit who began to enter the fray. With all this, on top of the monster below trying to reach up and topple over the platform they stood on, and the phyxes flying around, it was pure chaos in that small portion of the forest.

Suddenly, Walter finally finished his spell and waved his arm with a flourish and shouted, "Blizzard!" Tiny shards of ice began ripping through the air, shredding through the wings of the creatures in the air and ripping apart the thin gelatinous membrane of the few eryngis. A few crystalantulas has shards pierce the small spaces between their armor, but were otherwise unharmed.

Senel beat away one of the last peepits there while Walter cast an Indignation spell, taking care of the last of the crystalantulas. With a soft sigh of relief, he turned and looked into the depths of the forest. The two had barely entered the forest and it was literally crawling with monsters, and going any further would bring out even more and waste what precious time they had. Swallowing down his worry, the eren turned and looked over at the blond. "Walter…"

He looked up at the serious tone, giving him his attention (for once). Senel exhaled, "Look, this is taking way too long; at the rate we're going we'll be too late to save Norma." There was that look again. He was just as worried as the rest of them. He shoved his thoughts away before continuing on. "You go ahead of me. You can fly around all of the monsters and get there faster than running along the passaged with me."

Senel probably should have been pleased at Walter's expression. He almost seemed confused at Senel's insistence he leave him to go find Norma, and he hesitated for a few moments. "You sure you can survive without me?" There's the old Walter, snarky as ever.

He couldn't help but smile back, "Can you not collapse without me around?" The blond seemed to shrug it off the statement. _Fair enough._As his wings flared out and he turned to fly off, Senel spoke up, "Walter…" He turned to lock eyes with him, his piercing gaze against his determined one. "…You'd better save her, or..." He finished weakly, letting his worry show through.

The blond gave him a grim smile with furrowed brows, "Or die trying." He finished for him, then took to the air and disappeared around a platform high in the air.

Senel stood there for a moment, watching him leave, then leapt off the platform and continued onwards into the maze of glass and monsters.

x x x

He lightly tapped down upon the crystalline ground, the glassy surface dull from years of being trodden on by monster and human alike. As Walter's wings faded away, he stood up from his crouched position and looked around at his surroundings. He remembered there was some sort of rift in the wall... One that had probably formed from one of the earthquakes, which led down to the lower levels of the forest. But where was it?

Eyes narrowing for a moment, he quickly scanned the clearing around the outer walls; it had to be here... ...There! Over by a large wall, an outcrop of icy-blue crystal had cast a shadow over part of the wall, shrouding a pathway from view. A few moments later, the blond was staring down a darkened pathway, cracked shards lying by the walls from where the wall had shifted and cracked open. Swallowing hard, he took one cautious step after another into the darkness.

Here, there was no sunlight shining down through blue glass. The walls were thick, and filled with what seemed to be veins of rock. What little light the entrance gave cast long shadows along the ground and the wall, creating the effect of dancing shapes. Soon, even that light was gone, and Walter had to use the light of his eres to see by. Icicle-looking crystals hung from the walls and ceiling, making shadows bounce across the tunnel and the light bounce off of the glass.

Or it would have, had there not been mist forming around his feet as he walked farther and farther down into the depths... The Ferines waved his eres-lit fingers at the mist, but it just fell back into place a moment later. Even from the small amount that was here, he still felt its effects on him. Nervousness grew in his mind, and he couldn't help but worry about Norma.

He felt doubt rising in his mind, about whether or not he could even save her from that woman... if she was still there. What if she had gone down another pathway, and he had gone the wrong way? What if his efforts were in vain...? Was it even worth trying then?

Walter reached into a pocket and felt the small vial filled with her antidote, the fluid sloshing around beneath the cool glass. ...No, he refused to give up. He would save Norma, no matter what. He made a promise to protect her, and he refused to break that promise. Looking up with resolve in his eyes, he stubbornly kicked away the mist and continued down the dark path. Strange shadowy figure be damned, he'd fight to the bitter end to save her.

Further down the path, the tunnel began to lighten up. The dark veins in the crystal seemed to disappear, and water trickled down one of the walls and down the path. The eres disappeared from Walter's fingertips as he walked down the path. The water cut across the path in a shallow crack, then flowed down the side in what looked like a ditch.

At the bottom, the tunnel's walls and ceiling arched outward as he entered a circular room, completely shrouded in black mist. The echoes of water pattering into a small pool was the only thing he could hear, which gave him something to focus on other than the loud silence in this underground area.

Walter's eyes flicked from side to side, before letting out a sigh. It was impossible to find anything in this mist, let alone his bubbly companion. Swallowing, he took one cautious step after another into the dark fog. Soon after he did so, the mist began to thin and disappear. Little by little, the mist vanished, and the room became clearer. Enough that he could see two shapes up ahead...

Two human figures. One was lying on their side facing away from him, clad in yellow clothing. Her brown hair had shifted away from her neck, and the yellow hair bauble she wore was clinging to her hair by only a few strands. ...Norma.

The other figure was tall, curvy and wore black; her face was hidden by a black mask, with turquoise hair in a long flowing braid atop her head. Her hand was stretched over the younger girl's form, and her hand was hidden by mist.

Tiny strands of light seemed to float around Norma's still body, spiraling upwards like trails of smoke, pooling into the woman's hand and fading away into the black mist. It was like... like Norma's eres was vanishing into the masked women. Her magic, her...

Walter's eres activated in a blast of light, swirling around his fist until they became a dark lavender color under his violet eres. Eres streaking behind him, he charged.

x x x

Another flurry of slashes from a knight's sword, and the dragon finally fell, slain by the combined efforts of Will, Chloe and Jay. As the frost dragon stopped moving, Chloe paused to catch her breath, beads of sweat beginning to run down her forehead. All around her, dragons lay where they fell, their various wounds created from axes, swords, magic and other unorthodox but none-the-less lethal objects.

After Walter had met with her and left, Jay and the Oresoren had arrived to help with the battle, and the tides turned. The citizens of the town, bandits, talking otters and the Fun Bunch combined forces and overcame the dragons that had swarmed their town. Bandits armed to the teeth fought viciously in the park, Oresoren took the western part of town and the rest of the citizens helped, especially around the shops and fountain areas. Hell, Moses and his gang even got to take down their second dragon; a huge behemoth of a monster, a dark-colored dragon spewing black fire everywhere.

Now, there were few dragons left in the city. What monsters that hadn't already fled or been killed were fighting the citizens who had taken up arms, and even then, there were few left. Chloe sidestepped the torn wing of a fire dragon, and went to find the others. As she reached entrance of the fountain plaza, she heard her name being called, and stopped in her tracks. Looking behind her, she saw Shirley running towards her, braids bouncing with her footsteps.

Turning to face her, the Merines slowed to a stop, pressing a hand to her chest as she tried to catch a breather. "Chloe! Good to... see that you're... ok!" She panted.

Chloe smiled at her, "Same to you, Shirley."

"Oi! Chloe, Shirley, there you are!" The two girls turned to see Moses and Grune running their way. Moses looked like he had been run over by a wagon and set on fire, but was otherwise alright, while Grune was mysteriously pristine and unharmed.

"Moses, Grune; good to see you two are... alright." The knight made a motion towards his hair, which was still slightly smoking.

He peered up at his hair and waved it off. "Eh, just another battle scar. Anywho, y'all know where Will, Senel and the twerp are hidin'?"

"Who are you accusing of hiding, Moses?" Jay and Will walked up to them from the fountain, tired but not too injured. Jay crossed his arms, ignoring the few strands that had escaped his ponytail and hung in his face, "Nice hair, by the way. It's a good look for you."

"Oh ha ha, ya ain't lookin' too hot yourself."

Will shook his head, "Alright, settle down, all of you. Moses, is the park cleared of dragons yet?"

"My crew's just finishin' up, up there."

"The wealthy district is free from any dragons, along with the shops." Shirley spoke up.

"And the Oresoren are taking care of anything up by the hospital." Jay finished.

Will nodded, and Chloe sighed in relief. "Well, now that this little mess was taken care of, let's go find Senel and get Norma that antidote."

While the rest of the group nodded, Chloe felt a feeling of dread flood through her mind. Walter had gone to find Senel, who had the antidote... Oh dear.

Shirley noticed that the knight standing beside her turned pale, and didn't seem as happy as the rest of them to go find Senel and save Norma. "...Chloe, are you alright?" This seemed to snap the knight out of her thoughts. "You seem a little... distracted."

"I-I'm fine! It's just..."

Now the rest of them were starting to give her concerned expressions. "Somethin' bothering ya?"

Well, better late than never. She might as well tell them why she was so nervous all of a sudden. "Well... You know that I gave Senel the antidote to hold on to, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Moses shrugged.

Chloe bit her lip. "...Well... Someone may have gone to go see him and get said antidote, to go and save Norma themselves..." She averted her eyes for a moment, her cheeks turning a little pink. Her fingers fidgeted with the hilt of her sword, idly running her fingers along the familiar metal.

Jay gave her a serious look. "...Chloe, who is this person...?" Somehow, he already knew the answer to his question, along with two other people in the Fun Bunch.

"..." She cringed. "Ok, maybe I told him to go get the antidote from Senel, but he looked so _different_from the last time we fought or even saw him, and it looked like because Senel hasn't been around that he was with him too and it wouldn't be so bad if the two of them were togeth-"

"Chloe!" Will interrupted her out-of-character rambling. "Who was it?"

A moment of silence passed by. "...Walter?"

Will looked shocked, Grune was indifferent (a smile on her face, as always) and the other three shared a nervous look. Walter... and Senel... _together?_

"Oh, crap!" Moses exclaimed, while Shirley opted for one of the less offensive terms, "Oh dear... This won't end well."

Will narrowed his eyes at the three, suspicions starting to grow at their muted reactions. Chloe noticed this too, and stopped playing with her sword to stare at them. "Wait a minute..."

Jay shook his head in exasperation, "That idiot... Knowing him, he's just going to pick a fight with Senel."

Shirley looked over at him quickly, "Even if he was mad at him still... which he is, I doubt he'd let Norma's life be in danger though."

"You guys..." Chloe started, not believing what she was hearing. Not only had Walter met her... But apparently all three of them, and by the sounds of it, Norma too! And they had hid it from them? For how long? "You mean...!"

"Oh, so you three know Wally?" Grune chirped, her head tilting to one side with a smile.

The five shot flabbergasted stared at the tall woman, who seemed completely unaware of the situation. "You've met Walter too!" Jay, Moses, Shirley and Chloe shouted in unison, and then stared at one another in shock.

"What, you too?" Moses shouted, causing Jay to put a hand to his ear, "Quit yelling, you stupid bandit!"

"What about you three! You all knew about... you all met him and didn't bother to tell us!" Chloe accused the three, pointing a finger at them.

"Hey, don't look at me, I barged in on the two after the dragon; I never even knew he was alive until I saw him high-tailin' out of that forest." Moses defended himself.

"Wait... barged in on what?" Shirley asked, her cheeks growing pink.

"And you too, Shirley! How could you, deceiving Senel and the rest of us?" Chloe spoke harshly.

"Leave her out of it, Chloe. She was the one who helped head Norma and Walter after she nearly died trying to save his butt-" Jay started, before being interrupted.

"Wait, that was because of _him_!"

"-He would have died if Shirley hadn't been around!"

"So you mean to say that Norma's been hiding him all this time, and-"

"Did you interrupt anything they were-"

"**QUIET!**" Will's loud shout quieted the other voices, who turned to look at the surprisingly-calm historian. "You've _all_ met Walter, and didn't tell any of the rest of us, _I get it._We've got more important things to do, like saving Norma." The four instantly straightened, their faces hardened with resolve.

They made to walk towards the entrance to the duct, but he held a hand out in front of them. "Hold on one moment..." He walked up to the four, gave them all a hard stare, and clonked each of them over the head. "That was for later, when I give each and every one of you a lecture and another one of those for not telling me about Walter."

Jay rubbed his head, and then closed his eyes in submission, "Fine... For right now, let's go save Norma."

"Chaaarge!" Grune cheered, a fist pumped in the air with a grin on her face.

x x x

The woman known as Schwartz turned at the rage-filled scream, and saw a blinding light cutting through the black mist surrounding her. A young Ferines man, with cutting eyes the color of the icy crystal surrounding her, with violet light shrouding his fists in power. The same light streamed out behind him in the shape of wings, which propelled him even faster towards her.

"**Get away from her!**" He screamed, eyes blazing as he swung at her only for her to leap gracefully away from him. Standing near the girl's body protectively, he glared daggers at her and leaned down to check on the girl. His face softened and clenched up in pain when he looked down at her. Ah... so this was her guardian. Her so-called protector, whom stopped her last time.

The black mist curled around her form like a blanket, but she let it slide from her form and pool around the form, her form now clear in the misty chamber. "She has already begun her rest, and shall not awaken from your pleading." She stated, her voice cutting through the air like the mist was never there.

This only seemed to warp the young man back to the situation at hand, for he slowly stood to his feet and glared at her. Unfortunately for the emotional human, he could not kill her with a gaze. The powerful lights flickering in his hands swirled in the air as he spoke. "Who are you...? Why do you keep coming back, infusing monsters with your dark mist and trying to kill Norma?" His hard, frosty voice cut through the air as cleanly as hers did, perhaps more-so. He was confident, and was smart enough to acknowledge her as a powerful opponent.

Schwartz gazed back at him emotionlessly, "I am not killing her. The child simply realizes that there is no shame in giving up. So do all eventually... She will rest in an eternal slumber, free from worry and doubts."

"You're killing her!" The man repeated himself, eyes blazing. "That dark mist of yours feeds on negative emotions, and it makes her doubt herself and give up... You're taking advantage of her weakness, so you can steal her life away!" In cue with his words, the light around his fists flared with his anger.

The woman ignored his words, and focused on the dark emotions resting inside of him. There were so many to choose from... Hatred. Doubt. Sorrow. They made the mist swirl around his feet, eager to absorb the emotions flooding out of him. For this individual to have so many emotions in himself, yet still remain firm in his convictions was... admirable in a human, but in all irrelevant.

"I can see your thoughts, child... I can see your reluctance to continue protecting others, and what pain it has caused you then and now." Ah, there it is... The man's hardened mask cracked a miniscule fracture... It was enough.

"Life is difficult. It is full of pain, hatred... and despair." The crack grew; he was listening to her now. "You've lost much in your life, and know more than others how harsh life is. Why continue? Why risk feeling that same pain again, and again, and again? It does not end, child, but continues in an endless cycle of destruction."

The man faltered with his words, not able to say a thing. He bowed his head, and his hands went limp, light seeping out of them as the mist swirled around him. Schwartz continued. "There is someone from your past, whom you've lost and miss dearly. Constant sorrow surrounds every thought of this person. ...They would understand your ceasing of your duties. You could rest finally, and be free of the hatred, sorrow and pain that stab at you every moment. All you have to do is give up."

The man was motionless, the glow around his hands having vanished like the mist that surrounds him. The wings behind him had slowly vanished as well, leaving this one man staring at the floor alone and nearly defeated. Schwartz did not smile at her 'victory'; he was simply another child of man who chose not to continue the petty circle of despair that was life. Slowly, her heels clacked silently against the floor as she walked towards him, mist darkening in her wake.

Without warning, however, she felt a change in the air, like when he had first entered. A small shimmer of violet light flickered from one of his fingernails, then two. After a long moment, the room burst into light, blinding the woman and evaporating the mist around him. Backed away from him for a moment from the unexpected flash, she looked back towards him.

The blond man stared not at the floor, but at the girl he stood protectively over. His fists were flaring with bright light, and it reflected in his stern eyes as he looked back at her. His face surprisingly calm for one who's eyes blazed with the weapon who wrestled his doubt away from her grasp. Resolve.

"No." He began. "I refuse to just lie down and give up. Not now, not after how hard I worked my ass off sticking around with this girl. ...Not after I promised I'd always be there for her." He straightened, and stretched his arms into a fighting position. "I _never_break my promises... and I'm going to cave your face in for making me ever think I could!"

The man was predictable in his next move. He charged at her, lashing out with his fists, but never landing a hit on her. She moved away, to the opposite side of the chamber from where he and the girl were. Sensing no other way to deal with the human, and still wanting the child, she gathered up the dark mist around her into a dark orb.

"I see there shall be no changing your mind..." The orb crackled with a white light within the pulsating dark. Pressing her hands together, the lights seemed to twist and conjoin with each other.

"Very well then... You leave me but with little choice." Her hands, closed like a prayer in front of her, slowly extended away from each other, revealing a glowing cylindrical shape, growing longer and longer as she pulled her hands away. Soon her hands had extended away enough that her hands opened, and her arms spread away from her.

The shape was a long glowing pole, with a strange shape on the end. The black and white light soon solidified into a weapon. It was a long black pole topped with gold caps, and the head of the halberd was made up of many lunar-like curves and sharp points. One end held four spear-like tips like a drawing of a sun, while the other end had a long, curved blade the shape of a crescent. These two joined in the center where a deep burgundy-purple orb was set.

The halberd fell lightly into her open palms, which twirled round the weapon in a combo that would slay most opponents, and stopped to hold it behind her, her other arm outstretched as if waiting to cast a devastating spell. "I shall grant you everlasting slumber, child... Back into that dark abyss from where you came from."

The man in front of her took a deep breath and steeled himself for a harsh battle, and then took the first move.

x x x

Senel punched yet another crystalantula off the pathway, leaving it to skitter for a grip down one of the other mushroom-like platforms of a crystalized tree. He had been right in that it would take longer on the ground-level then in the air; he had probably cleared out at least a dozen crystalantulas, and more monsters then he'd care to remember at the moment. He was exhausted, sore, and his fists felt like lead at the moment.

Still, he preferred fighting alone to the alternative of Walter being with him, and they got there too late to save Norma. At least like this, Walter had a chance of getting there in time, and when he reached them Norma would be as good as new. …He hoped that would be the case. Still, while Walter wasn't the easiest person to be around, even with their newly-found truce, he knew the blond wouldn't let a life slip through his fingers on his watch. Even Norma… especially Norma.

The sound of yelling reached his ears, and he turned to see a group of six dashing towards him. Senel had never been so glad to see his friends.

"Coolidge, there you are!" Chloe shouted in relief.

"Senel, are you alright?" Shirley asked when they reached him, instantly pulling out her quill and performing a quick first-aid spell when she saw the scrapes on his arms.

"I'm fine, Shirley, but thanks." He waved off his scrapes, and grabbed a pineapple gel from someone to get back a little stamina.

Jay spoke next, not noticing the blond Ferines that had apparently been with him. "Is Walter with you? Did you two find Norma?"

Senel shook his head, "No, Walter and I split off around ten minutes ago. It was faster to fly, and he couldn't carry me in his condition, so I went around and he flew straight through."

"Wait, 'condition'? Was he injured?" Will asked.

"Long story. And no, we haven't found Norma, or at least I haven't. I'm not sure where either of them is, though I'm sure he'll find her." Senel finished.

Chloe stared at him for a long moment. "…Who are you and what have you done with the real Senel Coolidge?"

He realized she was talking about his nonchalant attitude with the blond. "Again, long story, but we really need to catch up to him in either case; he might need help with some of the monsters around here."

Moses nodded, and held up her Relares notebook, "Geit has Bubbles' scent with this; we'll find her faster with this."

Will nodded, "We better hurry. Her symptoms are going to get worse without that antidote…"

Senel agreed. "Alright, let's go everyone!" The group agreed, and they hurried ahead, Geit and Moses leading the way. The white-haired eren felt more confident with his friends there, but still, a worrying feeling nagged at his chest. He knew Walter would find her… He only hoped he could defend both himself and Norma against whatever might be ahead.

x x x

The punch had been a bit obvious, Walter had to admit, though she shouldn't have seen the spell he had been chanting under his breath before hand! His Icicle Volt spell crashed into the ground between them, and she sliced the huge chunk of ice in half, leaping over it to slam her halberd into the ground. He barely rolled away in time, and then had to backflip away as she slashed at the spot he had been standing in before.

The woman brought her pole arm back towards her, and spoke, "I underestimated your evasive maneuvers… However, how long before you tire and I claim the final blow?" She swung her halberd around in circled before spinning around herself and bringing the weapon in an outward arc towards him. He backed away, but not before it sliced his forearm.

Walter fell back with a cry of pain, and had to activate his wings to fly back from her spear. He dashed back away from her, resisting the urge to look down to grab a gel. He couldn't afford to take his eyes off of her, from how fast she was and how long of a reach that bladed weapon had. He couldn't even get close enough to attack her. "Damn it…" He muttered to himself as she paused for a moment.

She brought her fingers up as if ready to perform at a symphony, but her fingers began to glow and a circle of energy rose up around her feet and made her dress flutter from the updraft. It was then he realized her intension. "Shit!" He dashed quickly towards her while she was distracted and tried to land in a hit, but she side-stepped his attack and by then her spell had reached completion. She made a throwing gesture and a huge ball of light shined almost to a blinding state above his head.

His eyes widened and he quickly ducked his head back and brought his wings up to shield him as it began to rain blinding flashes of light. A few hit his back, and he cringed from the sting but was otherwise fine. He couldn't help but smirk a bit. Didn't she know Ferines were resistant to light and sea-based spells? His wings parted as he launched himself at her, landing a few blows to her side and shoulder before she glided away. In just a split moment, he was on the defensive again, dodging away from her spinning halberd.

Having enough of this, he flew up towards the ceiling of the cavern and charged up a spell, "This outta hit her… Blizzard!" Shards of ice filled the room, pummeling the woman into submission. …Or it would be, if she hadn't been blocking most of them by spinning her blade in a circle against the wind. A few had managed to get through, shredding pieced of her clothing or slicing off a few strands of hair, but at the end of the spell she was practically untouched.

"What…? It didn't even faze her!" Walter exclaimed to himself. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he charged another Icicle Volt spell when she leapt up to his height, taking the blunt end of her weapon and slamming it into him without a word.

The blond hit the ground with a crash, shards of crystalized stone flying everywhere. Spiderweb fractures and cracks spread outwards from the small crater the blond lay in, dazed and in pain from the attack. The attack had him struggling to keep conscious, and he guessed he'd probably have a concussion from that. Not to mention there was now a sizeable shard of crystal stuck in the back of his shoulder.

Struggling to pull himself out of the rubble, he saw the black-formed figure glide back down to earth from where she leapt up. Gritting his teeth, he managed to stand up, aim a hand towards her and aim an Indignation spell at her. She easily dodged it and chanted a spell of her own. The air grew super-heated around him, and he barely had the chance to dodge away before a wave of superheated flame tumbled down onto the spot where he was. Cracks closed up as the crystal seemed to melt and bubble, leaving the small crater scorched and lumpy after the spell faded.

Walter let out a breath, and turned back towards the women, who had sped up to appear right in front of him while he was trying to regain his composure and easily batted him away, leaving him to slide away on the smooth floor.

"Are you losing momentum?" She asked lightly when he had shifted slightly; bringing a hand up to clutch at the ribs she might have broken but otherwise stayed in place. "I can sense a growing doubt in you, child. Why resist eternal rest?"

"Because I promised Norma I'd protect her!" Walter yelled back, biting back a groan as he got back to his feet, his resolve and determination refusing to waver one bit.

The woman seemed to raise an eyebrow, but her emotionless voice and masked face hid no such speculation. "A promise is but words from one person to another. In the end, they are meaningless and broken, so why continue on when it is inevitably in vain?"

Walter gritted his teeth together, ignoring her words, "Because. I. _PROMISED!_ I won't bow down to your pretty words, and _I won't abandon my friend!_" Fatigue forgotten, he charged at her again, hands flaring with an almost blinding light. The black-clad woman was now in the defensive, dodging his attacks and bringing her halberd up to block a few of them. Even through this, he got in a few hits, particularly one to her mask, which had begun to crack apart.

After a while, the woman's hands seemed to glow and she batted him away with her weapon before leaping into the air, "Enough of this!" She let go of her weapon, letting it drift away from her while bringing her hands together. Her hands didn't glow, but seemed to suck in all the light around them, the black abyss flickering with a malevolent violet light that skittered across them like lightning. She brought them up and aimed it at Walter with a shout, "**Nihil Solo!**"

For a moment, Walter couldn't feel anything but a wave of pain, continuous and blinding. He managed finally to open his eyes and automatically move into a standing position. The attack had blasted him away from the area and slammed him into the wall, which explained the warm liquid dripping down his neck from the back of his head. His back spasmed when he tried to shift to his side, and he was probably black and blue all over. Even through all of that, he looked ahead of him and saw that the women had turned away from him and slowly walked away… towards Norma.

Trying to get to his feet, he used his wings to help himself up. He once again chanted out a quiet spell, then cast Indignation on the women. "I won't let you take her…" He whispered mostly to himself. He had to say, he was rather surprised the spell actually hit her, knocking loose her weapon out of her hands as electricity ran through her form. The bolt of lightning from the ceiling hit her dead center, and she fell to her knees. He couldn't help but smirk. "Finally, I can hit you!" Walter wasted no time in rushing over to try and take the advantage in their mostly one-sided battle, but as she got back to her feet, she ended it.

In a moment, she had vanished away from his sight. He turned around behind him, and heard a voice whispering in his ear from right behind him. "This battle is over." He turned to try and lay a hit on her, or even to try and dodge away like he had always done, but a cool sharp blade had stopped him in his tracks.

The darkly-clad women, mask cracking at the edged from where he had hit it before, brought her long fingers up to caress his face, careful to avoid the bloody edge of the halberd. "…This battle is over, child." She repeated. "While your infinite determination and resolve is admirable, one can only go on for as long as one's body allows them. You are injured, weak and tired. Rest…" She brought her fingers back to her weapon and with a swift tug, pulled the bladed crescent blade out of the Ferines' chest. The blond wavered for a moment before collapsing to his knees, a choked gasp finally escaping.

The woman swung the weapon in a wide arc, blood spattering the ground but no longer coating the black and silvery metal. She turned on her heel and turned to walk away, "Give up, and rest in that dark abyss from whence you came."

The entire time she had been speaking in that low, dark comforting voice, Walter had been trying to move, to do _anything_ but be stuck on that weapon of hers and forced to listen to her. He choked and clutched at his chest, blood staining his clothing and dripping onto the floor. _Damn it Walter, get up!_He gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but only managed to fall forwards onto his free hand, fingertips barely sparking with his violet eres.

Come _on_, you idiot! You're doing exactly what she wants you to! Walter thought to himself. He looked past the shadowy woman to the prone form of the girl behind her. Norma. She needs you; she'll die if you don't help her. She needs to find her Everlight, and horse around with her friends, and...

Walter realized something in that short space of time when Schwartz was walking away and he was trying to keep from bleeding to death. _You'd miss her, Wally._In a short amount of time, she's taken Fenimore's place and even more; she became his best friend. His roommate, his comrade along with all of her friends. So much that even if he were to survive this day, he'd never recover if he lost her. He couldn't think of not having her around.

_'Save her, you idiot.'_His mind gave one last push, and his resolve came back in full force again.

Gritting his teeth and pushing himself back up, the Ferines finally stood back up, so shakily that he nearly fell over again. Staring down the back of the women walking towards Norma, he activated his wings again and violet light drifted back into view. Giving an experimental flap with them and his hand clenching into a fist, he rose into the air and sped towards the woman.

She had launched the Ferines into the ground, used Nihil Solo on him and even stabbed him in the chest with her halberd. She had expected him to be bleeding to death, having given up. So, Schwartz was _very _surprised when she heard a cry of anger behind her. "Get away from her, you _bitch_!" She turned just in time to see the blond Ferines, bloodied and furious, slam a fist into her face and launch her backwards into the far-off wall.

Walter landed in front of Norma, widening his stance for a more aggressive stance in case she came at him with her halberd again. Sure enough, she stepped out of the dust and debris with fury in her eyes… which he actually could see now. Parts of her mask had broken off, and she was clutching at the last half of it, leaving part of her face uncovered. He was pleased to see her forehead had traces of blood on it, and anger in her eyes (for once, somewhat emotional).

"Why won't you die? Why do you refuse to part with this world and return to the abyss?" She asked her tone dark with fury.

Walter simply smirked, "Because I promised her I would protect her." Ohh, the reaction he got was priceless.

She made to dash towards him, ready to run him through and blast him into a thousand pieces when she suddenly stopped, a shard of her mask falling with the movement. She seemed to cock her head up and try to hear a distant sound, but before he had a chance to think of it further she turned back towards him. "My other half is here, and I must be gone. The time is not ready for this world's slumber. However, the girl's soul is safe for but a time; I shall return for her… and you." She let her weapon drop out of her hand and it vanished into a plume of black smoke when it hit the ground.

Walter stared right back at her, blue eyes piercing. "And I'll be waiting to knock you in your other cheek, lady."

She gave no response. The woman looked into his direction one last time, and vanished. The black mist surrounding the area faded away, leaving the battlefield's air clear and lit by the bluish hue of the stone around them.

It was in that moment that Walter let go of the tough-guy act and finally let out a shaking gasp, slowly sinking to his knees. He felt the adrenaline from the fight wearing off, and with that, the pain of his wounds came back in full force. Gritting his teeth, he didn't want to know how badly he was injured- well, more then he knew he was, anyway- but the blood splatters on the crystal ground around him didn't paint a pretty picture.

Slowly getting to his feet, the Ferines turned towards Norma. Even if that shadowy woman and her black mist was gone, poison was still coursing through her system; she needed that antidote. Finally finding the small bottle in his bag, he slowly limped over to where she lay, ignoring the pain flaring in his chest.

Kneeling next to the brunette, he hesitated when he looked at her face, looking as if she was just sleeping. Unfamiliar thoughts ran their way through his foggy mind, but he shook them away. After shoving the thoughts into a dark corner in his mind, he uncorked the top of the bottle, nose wrinkling at the smell.

Tilting Norma's head up, he slowly poured the medicine down her mouth, carefully making sure she swallowed every drop. Letting the bottle slip from his fingers, the hollow clattering sound filled the stifling silence of the room, mixing with the pattering sounds of water dripping and his shallow breathing.

A small relieved smile lit Walter's face when she began breathing normally again. Her flushed cheeks began to regain their normal color, and she slept easier than before.

_"Norma's... okay again." _Walter thought to himself, holding a hand tight against his chest and trying not to think about the wheezing sound in his voice as he exhaled. He gritted his teeth as he risked a peek at his wound. Biting back a choked whimper, he turned his attention to trying to find an elixir in his bag, or really anything, and found… nothing. From when he crashed into the wall, all of the bottles had been smashed and their contents mixed together. Knowing there were a few light bottles for repelling monsters in there, he didn't want to try his luck.

He let himself lean back onto the floor with a thump, a tired chuckle spilling from him, "Well damn…" He said to himself, trying to ignore that cold numbing sensation spreading through his arms and legs, taking away the sharp pains and replacing them with a dull throb.

Walter wasn't an idiot by any means; he knew what dying felt like. He turned to looked over at Norma for a moment, vision blurring a bit at the edges. He knew going up against that shadowy woman wouldn't have been a picnic, but she was gone and Norma was safe. Wasn't that what he came here for? …Was she worth dying for?

He finally closed his eyes and let himself drift off, a faint smile appearing on his face, "…Yeah, it was worth it."

x x x

_Feel free to kill me now, readers… I probably deserve it._


	19. Chapter 19:Don't Let It Break Your Heart

_And this is what happens when I try to wrap up loose plot threads… out-of-character characters and lame dialogue. Well, I'm sick and have writer's block, so I have an excuse!_

_Themes are: Elle Theme – Silent Hill 6: Homecoming OST, Smile – Dark Symphony (deathaura40s), Walk Away – Darren Hayes, Deae Luna – Makkon, Saeglopur – Sigur Ros, Don't Let It Break Your Heart - Coldplay_

* * *

Chapter 19: Don't Let It Break Your Heart

* * *

In the center of a semi-large clearing, the sound of boots and heels thudding against the path echoed in the forest. Soon, a group of seven individuals and a grand galf ran into view, pausing to catch their breath. The white-haired teen looked around as he panted, hands on his knees. "Where are you two…?"

Chloe walked a little ahead of him, peering down the pathway and shaking her head, "Strange… We should have found them by now."

As the group continued investigating the area, Geit loped forward, nose twitching as he tried to catch a scent. Then, the galf paused, lifting his head as if listening to a distant sound. His nose twitches as he sniffs, and he strides forward several steps to the end of the circular platform where a huge crack had formed in the crystal walls, broken shards littering the ground in one or two spots. Sniffing a few moments more, he whined softly.

Will noticed him, and looked beyond the galf at the broken wall. "There's a crack in the crystal…"

Geit then sat down and whined even louder, catching the rest of the group's attention as well. Moses walked over to his furry companion and crouched down next to him. "Hey, boy, do you smell Bubbles?" The galf barked in response, most likely a yes.

The group quickly gathered in front of the entrance, and Jay approached the entrance. He looked inside and down the passageway before turning back to the others. "It looks like the trail continues inside."

Senel nodded, "Let's take a look then…"

Carefully, the group walked down the dark passageway, Senel and Chloe in front unable to really see anything. Their long shadows covered the path below their feet, and the group was frequently stumbling forwards after tripping over a rock or something similar. Finally, Shirley unleashed her small blue teriques, which lit the way before them with an eerie but calming blue glow.

The crystalline butterfly lit the walls and crystal around them, causing Will's historian senses to come to light as he looked at the walls around them in fascination. "This really is fascinating… The earthquakes must have opened this place back up over the past month or so; the crystal is almost like glass it's so blue! Oh, and these stalactites hanging from the ceiling; they had to have formed thousands of years ago, but some event closed this place back up from the elements. Everything is almost exactly like it was a thousand years ago, or more!" He practically squealed when the light of Shirley's teriques lit up a rather shiny piece of crystal, flecks of white and gold sparkling inside like trapped air bubbles inside glass.

The others ignored him for the most part, though Jay examined the path before them and saw a thin layer of dirt upon the ground. Pausing to examine it (and making sure his other teammates wouldn't bump into him and send him tumbling down the path), he asked Shirley to bring her teriques closer to the ground he was examining. After one or two moments more, he stood back and turned his head towards them. "Norma definitely came down this pathway, and so did Walter. There are two sets of footprints."

The group looked ahead, and noticed that the path had begun to open back up, the walls spreading and the ground steadily growing more even. "That must be the exit." Shirley commented, sending her teriques ahead of them as Senel signaled everyone to continue.

When they reached the entrance, Senel suddenly stopped, the others trying their hardest not to run into him. "Hey, why'd ya stop?" Moses asked, looking over Chloe's shoulder to see why Senel had paused. He quieted when everyone else saw the huge crater in the wall in front of them, a bit into a large circular and well-lit room. Cracks ran all along the edges of the broken crystal, and huge chunks lay at their feet. Some of them looked as if they had been cleaved in half by some impossibly sharp blade.

"What in the world…?" Chloe started to ask, but a low groan from beside her cut her quiet. Grune had crouched down beside them, nearly doubled over as she held her head almost in pain. The quiet groan came from her.

"Grune, what's wrong?" Will asked in concern.

"Head… hurts…" The tall women gritted out before returning to groaning out a jumbled word. "Sch… …war… z…"

"What? You need to speak up Grune, we can't hear you." Jay insisted.

Shirley went to hold her shoulder and try to coax an answer out of her, but she stopped when she saw the state of the room behind the voluptuous woman. Scorch marks, craters and scratches all over the floor, some accompanied by the red splatter of blood. A feeling of cold dread spread through her when she looked towards the center of the room. Near the center near a slightly-raised dais there were two motionless people on the ground... One of them covered in blood. It was Walter and Norma.

Her hand unconsciously flew up to her mouth to try and cover the stunned gasp tumbling out of her lips. "Oh… _Nerifes_, no!"

x x x

Everything was white… Why was everything white here? Hadn't it been black before…? Or blue?

A blond man looked around himself in confusion. Everything was stark white; the exact opposite that black abysmal place had been. So bright it was nearly blinding. His attire had stayed the same, though without any of the bloody scrapes and wounds that accompanied the torn clothing. He fingered a large tear on the right side of his chest, right below his ribs.

Then the sound of a quiet breeze reached his ears, and a downy feather blew past his eyes. Under his feet, the white scenery began to drift away as the breeze picked up and blew away the cloud of pure white feathers. He brought his arms up to his face in reflex, but lowered them after a moment as a few feathers softly brushed against his face as they blew by. The cloud swirled around him before eventually fading away and vanishing into the scenery around him.

It was… a beach. He was standing in the golden sand next to a large boulder half submerged in the fine grains. The calm ocean waves lapped gently at the sand, and the sun shined overhead like it always had. At the end of the beach was a small forest, and a path ran up the hill where the trees parted.

Blinking in confusion, the blond Ferines stepped a few feet over to the large rock, his feet sinking slightly in the sand as he moved. He ran his fingers along the smooth surface, the previously rough stone smoothed over years and years of waves crashing over it. He looked up and opened his mouth to say something and hesitated.

Finally, Walter asked to no one in particular, "…Am I dead?" His tone sounded a bit resigned, defeated; ready to admit his status but not accept it willingly.

"Well, technically yes and no. You're in the in-between." A light voice answered from behind him, a musical voice that made his heart stop. He stood rigid and tense, not sure if he had heard the voice correctly.

_It __**couldn't**__ be…_

Walter twisted so fast in place you'd think he had been in a battle for his life, but all that he saw behind him was a blond girl dressed in a blue and white dress, a yellow clasp resting below her collarbones. Her hair was done up in two high ponytails, and a thin, yellowish circlet rested atop her forehead. When she spoke again, her eyes seemed to sparkle with a laugh he hadn't the privilege to see when they were alive. "You know Walter; you don't have to look so shocked. Of all the people you expected to see on the other side, wasn't I the first?"

Walter visibly trembled, eyes wide and every mask and defense he had ever made up crashing before his feet like delicate glass sculptures. His heart was doing crazy things in his chest, and he couldn't breathe. "No… You're… you're dead, h-how…?" He gasped out finally after regaining control of his voice.

The girl gave him a sad look, "You remember what happened at the Altar of the Sea... To be honest, I hadn't expected things to go as they did. I didn't think you would die… and when I couldn't find you I was worried something happened to you halfway." She looked over him and continued, "Something did, I guess."

The blond's knees buckled under him, and he had to grab onto the rock to keep from falling the rest of the way down. "F-Fenimore, I… I-I'm... sorry." He exclaimed quietly, his voice threatening to crack. He had to blink hard, else they start watering.

Fenimore stepped over to him, and ran her fingers over one of his hands, forcing him to look at her sympathetic face. "You didn't have anything to do with my death, Walter."

Walter let out a bitter bark of laughter and stood back up, "That's precisely the point; I didn't _do_anything…" He finally gritted out, tone a bit rough as he swallowed down emotions he had kept away from most everyone. That she had so gently taken and unleashed just by being there. "I got there too late to save anyone, any of the people who sacrificed themselves to save Shirley, including you!" He stared out at the sea, away from the ghost in front of him. "You died because I wasn't there, and I couldn't protect Shirley in the end. I'm just…" His fingers on the rock clenched into a fist.

Fenimore grabbed his shoulder and yanked him around to face her. She gave him a level stare and a stern frown. "Don't say that. Don't you _dare_say you're a failure when you know you're not!"

The eren opened his mouth to reply, but she easily continued over him, "You saved me and Shirley in the Waterways when I thought for sure the Terrors were going to find and kill us. You lead that robot army against Vaclav's soldiers and won. You helped save Shirley along with Senel and the others. You helped protect Shirley when she was the Merines. And Nerifes is calm for the first time in centuries. The Ferines and Orerines are now at peace and _you_ helped bring that peace! And that was all on your _first_life!"

Walter could only blink in silence as she continued her barrage against him, with a hand on her hip and jabbing him in the chest with her other hand at each point. "You became an idol for three little kids, helped out your new friends in a pinch, saved them on multiple occasions, helped my sister Thyra along the path to forgiveness and even learned to 'forgive and forget' with Senel! The old Walter would never have done _any_ of those things and on top of all that…!" She leaned in close to him with a devilish grin on her face opening her mouth and singing out, _"You have a girlfriend~!"_

That last part made Walter actually speak up, however. "W-what in Nerifes' sake are you talking about!? She's my roommate, you dense girl!"

He _glared_at her. He had actually glared at her! Fenimore couldn't help but giggle a bit. Of all the things he had complained about in her tirade that was the one thing he had chosen to spoke up about. "You care about her though, right?"

He crossed his arms, "Of course; she's my friend." _Really, the first friend I've ever had…_

"And you'd do anything for her?" He simply nodded in response. "So much you'd die for her?"

Walter grew quiet at the question, averting his eyes as resignation filled them. "…I already have."

Fenimore was silent for a moment, and then tugged on his sleeve to make him look at her. "Walter, you gave her a promise that you'd protect her, right? You can't fulfill that promise if you stay here." She let go of his sleeve and stepped away a few feet, wringing her fingers together and staring down at them. "You know, all people who come to the in-between have a special privilege others don't get. They get to choose their fate, either in the real world or on the other side…"

"Then what was that time I spent in the black abyss after I died the first time?" Walter couldn't help but ask. If this was the realm in between worlds, then what was that place he spent perhaps days in without noticing?

Fenimore looked up at him, "You were special… You got chosen by someone to have a second chance, and if you succeeded in your task, you got to stay for good. And you eventually found out what you were supposed to do: save Norma from an untimely death. And you did it… until you died. Now you're here because of that, and you can choose where you want to go."

She looked at the ocean, the calm waves lapping at the shore the only sound breaking the silence besides their voices. "You can go back to Shining Blue one last time, and this life shall be your final one. If you die, you're dead; no second or third chances. But you'll live without any barriers, without any rules or trials. It would be as if you were still on your first life, with all the freedoms and joys, pains and sorrows included."

Fenimore looked back at him, the sparkle in her eyes returning as she smiled. "Or, you can choose to come with me into the other realm. A limitless world where all is at peace, and the souls of the dead live in pure tranquility. I've met many people over in that place, from friends in my old village, my distant relatives, elders, even the previous Merines who brought about the first Cataclysm years and years ago. And… one other person I know you'd want to meet." She trailed off.

Her eyes grew sad suddenly, sad and resigned, as if she already knew his answer. "What would you choose, Walter? Life or death…?" _With me or her?_

A faint breeze drifted down the beach, making Walter's bangs flutter out of his face as he looked at her with clearly conflicting feelings in his eyes. He felt torn between two people, two lives he couldn't possibly keep both of. It was depressing. It was painful. It was… surprisingly easy, he found. The truth was, he had made a promise to Norma he wouldn't abandon her, and he didn't break his promises. That was all it took.

He walked those few feet towards her and looked at her defeated expression. She knew his answer just as much as he did. "I don't break my promises, Fenimore. Never have, never will."

Fenimore nodded softly, rubbing at one of her eyes. "I know you don't, Walter. That's what I love about you." The other Ferines froze in place, but she didn't notice as she dug into one of her sleeves for something. "Now, I know I put it here somewhere… Where is it?"

Suddenly, she felt a hand close around her wrist, pulling her back until she collided into someone's arms. She felt his fingers caress her face, and then his lips collided with hers.

Fenimore felt completely helpless and on top of the world all at the same time. One of his arms wrapped around her waist and the other slid to the back of her neck, gently caressing her skin. She felt warmth flooding through her, and soon relaxed against him as her eyes closed. Their lips locked together as she ran her hands over his shoulders to wrap around his neck. Fenimore's fingers trailed up to run through his hair, and after what seemed like eons Walter's mind finally snapped back to attention again.

Finally he broke the kiss, his forehead leaning against hers with an expression of pure longing and frustration on his face. "You… have _no_idea how much I had wanted to do that." He said, his voice rough and breathless.

The girl in front of him blinked a few times, before smiling sadly and reaching into her sleeve again. Finally pulling away from him, she showed him the pure white feather clutched in her fingers, soft down fluttering in the breeze. "Here... This feather will take you back to the Crystal Forest. Take it."

Almost reluctantly, Walter plucked it out of her hands, spinning it slowly in his fingers. Suddenly, the slight breeze that had been blowing around the beach had picked up into a strong wing that whipped around them. Looking behind Fenimore, he saw a small stream of white weaving in the air like a strange serpent. A small cloud of feathers had formed and slowly gathered around them, circling silently and twisting around in spirals.

Fenimore grabbed one of his hands and made him look at her watering eyes one last time. "This is my blessing to you, Walter... Go live your life on your own terms, and no one else's. Go find your happiness!"

Finally, he felt her fingers slide out of his, and she became hidden behind a cloud of white. He felt like he was falling, moving so fast he felt like he should have hit the ground at any moment. Closing his eyes for just a moment, everything just stopped. It took him a moment, but when he opened his eyes again, the cloud of white feathers was gone, and he saw a face staring at him with worried eyes.

x x x

When she had awoken rather abruptly from a scream, Norma noticed all of her friends were standing around her, and for some reason seemed very upset. After she had sat up, she felt a wave of dread wash over her as she saw Wally lying nearby, Will and Shirley crouched over him with their fingers lit with the glow of their healing eres.

She realized he had come to rescue her again, but this time it hadn't seemed like he'd survive to give her a lecture or a smack over the head. Or that relieved face whenever she pulled out of whatever she got herself into. Or that smile the rare times he joked or teased with her, or actually seemed happy for once. The moment she realized that, she felt like she had lost Sven again.

She had activated her eres and tried the most powerful healing spell she knew but it seemed to drift right through him like it did Stella. _No no no, you can't do this, Wally! Don't you _dare_ die on me, you _jerk!_ You have to help me find the Everlight, and I need to show you how to cook properly and…_ Her mind screamed at him even as her eyes watered and blurred her vision. _You said you wouldn't die like Sven._ _You _promised_!_Her heart felt heavier and she swore she saw a black wisp flicker across the room.

So it was like that, that the group finally saw Walter open his eyes and inhale a breath of air. And almost immediately afterwards, he shut his eyes in pain and grumbled out a low "Oww…" So, she would normally be pleased about her supposedly-dead partner-in-crime coming back to life, right?

"Wally, you _jerk!_" Norma quickly leaned over and smacked the blond over the head, causing him to reach up and hold his head with the arm not across his middle.

…Apparently not.

Shirley had been close to tears of sorrow, then tears of joy before settling into shock at Norma's actions, after which Jay quickly grabbed her arm so she wouldn't hit him again. "N-Norma…" She mouthed, eyes wide in confusion.

"Norma, what's gotten into—" Jay started before he was interrupted by an indignant blond, who ten minutes previously had been bleeding to death.

"What in _Nerifes_is your problem, Norma!? Why did you hit me?" Walter yelled angrily, the smack rattling his head and making the throbbing headache from his concussion even worse. He tried sitting up, though the pain in his chest threatened to push him over again.

Norma didn't notice, ignoring his frustration and pain for a moment to snap back. "We all thought you were _dead!_"

"Well, obviously I'm not if you didn't notice—" Norma escaped from Jay long enough to smack him over the head again, interrupting him and making him bring his other hand up to clutch at his head. "Aargh… Stop hitting me!"

Will's patience had frayed enough over worrying over Norma before and Walter just recently, and had enough of their bickering. He paused in his healing to walk around the injured blond and clock Norma over the head. She immediately yelped and crouched down to the ground holding her head in her hands. He gave both of them a stern look before running a hand over his face in exasperation. "Honestly… Both of you, cut it out. We've all had enough things going on and your bickering isn't going to solve anything."

He looked over at Norma first. "Norma, it's good to see you're alright, so the antidote must have worked." Then he turned to the blond Ferines, crossing his arms, "As for you Walter, this is probably the first time we've met since the Wings of Light..."

"Probably." He responded, his arms returning to his chest and relieved to find he had been healed enough the wounds had closed.

Will looked the battered and bloodied blond over and sighed, "I'll ask questions later, let's just go home." He offered a hand, and after a hesitant moment Walter took it.

As Will had been talking to Walter, Norma had been looking around the place, remembering her original intent of coming to the Crystal Forest. The Everlight. She heard the oldest member of their group say something, and ignored it to examine the strange-looking dais in the center of the room. Suddenly, with the sound of trickling water echoing in her ears, she saw a huge white symbol glowing on top of the flat stone. It was in the shape almost like an eye, with a circle in the center and two folded lines nearly joining at either end.

This caught the attention of the others rather quickly, and Will quietly exclaimed, "What in the world…?"

Norma stood still in front of it, her expression of surprise slowly fading away as she hesitated. "Maybe… maybe we should do what it says." She clasped her hands together in front of her and bent her head forwards just a bit, letting her hair fall in front of her face.

After a moment, the strange character disappeared, and with the same watery sound three more appeared around the group. The different members of the party were curious of the glowing symbols, but Norma didn't stray from where she stood. Her expression held insecurity in it.

Chloe looked back at Norma from the shape in front of her; a solid circle with two curved lines on its sides, with the tips pointing out and away. "What are these?"

"They're Relares." Walter answered, gazing over at one glowing shape comprising of five dots in a cross-formation.

"Norma, can you read it?" Will asked, gazing at Norma as she continued to look at the last symbol in front of her.

She nodded, pointing at the one in front of Walter, "Disaster…" She turned to the one in the center of the three, "Fire…" Finally, she looked back at the one she had been staring at since they appeared: Two bent shapes which almost touched at one end, similar to an arch. "And future…" Her head slumped forward, her posture reflecting her doubts and fears.

"Norma?" Shirley spoke, looking at her in concern. Will and Chloe, looking over the symbols at the time, turned back to look at the treasure hunter.

Norma turned to face them. "If my research is correct, then… this has to be it." Doubt began to seep into her voice, making her words waver.

"You don't look very happy about it though." Will responded, crossing his arms.

Her shoulders slouched as if someone placed a heavy weight on them. "If… if the Everlight isn't here, then… Then I have no idea what else I can do."

Senel seemed to sense the fear and insecurity coating the air around her like a fog. "…You're scared." He asked, more than stated. He seemed to voice what everyone else began to feel about Norma's doubts.

Norma nodded sadly, and quietly continued. "If it isn't…" She hesitated. "If I learn the truth, I don't think I can hold onto my faith anymore. I don't think I could believe in my dream." Her eyes strayed to her feet, eyes watery and afraid. "If… if I turn back now, and don't confirm what lies beyond this point, then I can still hold onto my dream." She straightened to face the others, but her expression was forlorn and lost. "If the truth is going to be cruel… then I'd probably be better off not knowing at all."

Before someone could speak up and try to change her mind, black wisps of smoke began to appear all around her body. Rising off of her arms, the mist surrounded her and shrouded parts of her legs. The party members took a startled step backwards as Norma tried to brush the mist away from her arms, "Huh? Wh… what's going on!?" She ran away from the spot she was in, but the mist followed her like it was tied to her. She frantically brushed at her arms and legs, but the mist wouldn't go away. "This stuff is following me! W-what is this stuff? It won't come off!" She exclaimed, her voice high in distress.

Recognizing the black mist from all the times before, Walter's fingertips began to glow with a violet light. Before anyone could comment on it, Norma turned back towards the entrance of the cavern and ran away. "Wha…?!" The blond raced to the bottom of the sloped tunnel, stopping right by the crater at the foot of it. "Norma, stop!" His eres flared, and he took off up the stairs with a speed that made it seem he wasn't as injured as he was. The others didn't hesitate in following after them.

The group found Norma just outside the cracked entrance of the tunnel, looking at a ghostly version of herself. The figure could have been her twin, save for her grey appearance and blank, emotionless face. Norma took a few steps back, "What the!? There's two of me!"

The rest of the party members readied their weapons. "Careful, Norma! It's another one of those things made of the black mist!" Senel shouted, his fists glowing brightly with his eres.

Walter didn't wait for the being to attack first, and rushed forwards to slam a fist into it (much as he tried to ignore it had Norma's face.) The figure seemed to float to the side, dodging the Ferines' attack and bringing out an exact monochromatic copy of Norma's weapon, dark mist swirling around the end as it charged a spell.

Senel and Chloe were right behind the blond with their own attacks, Senel throwing a punch then Chloe swinging her sword widely after his attack trying to initiate a combo. The apparition sidestepped Senel's attack, but didn't see Chloe's sword until it had already hit, sending the apparition flying towards the edge of the platform.

"I swear, this isn't my fault!" Norma cried, fumbling for her straw as her fingertips began to glow yellow.

"This ain't the time to be making excuses, Bubbles!" Moses yelled back as he and Jay took center position, flinging their attacks at it while the other crystal erens charged their spells.

Up in front, the three erens were busy landing one hit after another on the twin, landing hits after one had already swung, protecting each other's weak points. Finally, the figure got its footing again, and ducked under a particularly fierce punch from Walter. Crouching down, it used the usually flimsy straw and swung it like a bat, sending the blond flying back towards the other team members. "Walter!" Senel yelled, looking back for a moment to see if he was alright.

Using the brief pause in the fight, the apparition swung at the other two iron erens with the backswing, sending the two comrades into a pile near where Walter landed. It brought the stick back up in front of it and the mist swirled around it as it charged a spell.

Senel pulled himself back to his feet, and looked over towards Chloe, but she was already up on her feet and charging back into the fray with Jay and Moses at her side. He turned to try and give Walter a hand, but saw him clutching at his chest again, in the same spot the torn bloodied hole had been. "Hey, you alright?" He asked, offering a hand out to pull him to his feet.

The blond just waved his free hand at the white-haired leader, "I'm fine, just keep fighting!" He responded quickly, and left it at that. Senel hesitated, then nodded and ran back into the fray after slurping down a gel.

Walter gingerly got to his feet, looking back at his hand to make sure he hadn't started bleeding again. He gave a small sigh of relief when it came away clean, but his chest still hurt like hell.

Suddenly, a sparkling green light surrounded him for a moment, and the pain in his chest receded. Looking behind him, he noticed Norma casting a healing spell over him. He smiled in her direction in thanks, and then began chanting his own spell.

As the iron erens tackled the apparition into submission, preventing it from casting spells, the crystal erens casted spell after spell. This was how the fight progressed, a brilliant show of teamwork until the being eventually fell to the ground and did not rise again. The Fun Bunch Plus One watched as the being disintegrated into black mist, its feet vanishing from view and continuing up until the ghost's body had vanished, leaving the smoky cloud behind. Soon after, the mist faded away until the floor was completely empty save for nine figures.

As they let themselves relax a little after the fight, Jay crossed his arms in thought. "First Will, now Norma. This marks the second time we've seen this."

Walter looked over at him, "This has happened before?"

He nodded, "Yes, in the Waterways a week ago. This was while you and Norma were unconscious."

The blond shook his head, "I thought the black mist could only appear from monsters, from what little I heard from you all."

Will stared at the spot where the misty being had vanished. "The mist_ had_always appeared from a monster, and I thought my double in the Waterways was a rarity. But this time…"

"Sooo… Bubbles' a monster?" Moses asked to no one in particular, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Of course not!" Norma spoke up, waving her arms at him in irritation.

Suddenly, Grune doubled over, holding her head like she was in pain. "Ohhh…"

Shirley held her shoulder, "Grune, are you ok?"

She straightened and let her hands fall back to her side. "…I felt like I almost remembered something from long ago…. Have I forgotten something really important?"

"Have you?" Chloe asked, not expecting a clear answer to her question.

Grune didn't answer, but perked up as if listening to something. She turned with a smile and bowed to… nothing. "Nice to meet you, Shadow." She greeted pleasantly.

The Fun Bunch Plus One stared at her, expressions ranging from surprise and befuddlement, but mosty confusion.

She waited a moment, and then said, "Oh, I'm so sorry." She gestured towards the invisible entity she was speaking to. "Do you know anything about me, Shadow?" Another moment passed, and then she scratched her head in thought, "Oh, that's true… Oh my, I just don't know what to do."

The team was silent again.

"Neither do we…" Shirley spoke, and everyone silently agreed.

A long few moments passed, with Grune nodding every now and then. After a while, she knelt to the ground and picked up something. "Oh, now I have Shadow's seed. I should plant it somewhere nice." She rose to her feet and placed what looks like a seed into the urn on her shoulder.

Senel saw Norma off to the side and asked, "Norma, what about the Everlight?" The others jolted out of their confusion at Grune's strange conversations and turned back to Norma.

She hesitated in saying anything, then finally lowered her head in submission, "I guess… I have to do it." Taking in a deep breath, she stepped forward a few feet and pumped a hand in the air with confidence, "Alright then, let's go!"

"Charge!" Grune chirped loudly afterwards, making any who didn't expect it jump.

Norma turned back to Grune with a smile on her face, placing her hands on her hips and nodding in pride. "I've trained you well, G-Girl!"

x x x

With Shirley and Norma lighting the way with their eres, the Fun Bunch Plus One entered the large cavern again. The symbols seemed to sense their presence, as they reappeared around the pedestal in the center of the room. This time, flickering flames seemed to lick up from the floor underneath them.

Norma looked over the three carefully, one at a time. "Disaster', 'Fire' and 'Future' huh…? Well, I already know the answer." She walked up a few steps to the pedestal and turned to Moses, "Hey Red, can I get you to do something for me?"

Moses twitched at the sound of his name. "Hmm? What do you need?"

"Probably to dive into the flames." Jay answered, his voice completely deadpan.

"Like hell!" Moses stomped his foot down in refusal.

Norma stared at him for a moment before turning away to look at the symbol again, "Tch."

Moses stared at her, bristling in anger, "Wha' do ya mean, 'tch'!? Is that what you really wanted!?"

"Probably…" Shirley couldn't help but giggle, which set off Moses even more.

Walter rolled his eyes, "The flames are just an illusion. If you choose the right one you won't get hurt."

Jay held up a hand near the symbols for a moment. "I can feel the heat from them quite clearly…"

"Well, it wouldn't be a very good illusion if they didn't, would they?" Jay turned to give a dirty look to the blond, who just raised an eyebrow.

Norma rolled her eyes. "Red." She got his attention, the pointed at the left-most symbol for 'future'. "Go throw a spear through the flames."

The bandit hesitated, but shook his head and pulled out one of the javelins from the case on his back and hurled it through the dead center of the symbol. The moment it touched it, the metal turned white-hot and the wood blackened into charcoal. It sailed through and disintegrated when it hit the floor. Charcoal stained the crystal floor and the red metal point bounced along the floor, singing the floor as it did.

"It burned just fine… How can it be an illusion?" Jay paused after he spoke and gave Walter a smug look, which he ignored.

"So you can't fool it by throwing junk through it…" Norma thought aloud.

"Hey, that ain't junk!" The owner of the junk protested.

"Now it is…" Jay mumbled to himself.

Norma was silent, looking at the flames and the useless pieces of metal and charcoal behind it. Her expression changed to one of doubt and fear, "Will I be all right even after I learn the truth…? Can I stay the same after this, like I've always been? Is the Everlight really just ahead of me?" She asked herself.

After a few second of her asking herself these questions, black mist suddenly streamed back and surrounded her form again. She started out of her thoughts and the party jumped at the sudden reappearance of the mist again. "W-what the? Why is this stuff back!?" She turned to the others with desperation written all over her face, "Teach, JJ, tell me what's going on!"

"I have no idea!" Will answered back after folding his arms in thought.

"Neither do I," Jay replied after him with a shrug.

Chloe looked at the two, "I just love how nonchalant you two are about this."

Meanwhile, the mist had materialized back into the ghostly version of herself. "Ahh, the other me is back too!" She looked at the team for help, but paused when she saw they all had their weapons out. Sweating a bit, she exclaimed, "W-well? Help me!"

After a moment or two, Senel noticed the being wasn't attacking. "…It doesn't seem to be aggressive."

"Ugh… What is this...?" Norma asked as she slumped down to her knees. "I feel absolutely horrible… What… what is this feeling? Doubt…?" The mist began to swirl out of her darker than ever, swirling up her limbs and shrouding them from view.

"Norma, the black mist is coming out of you again!" Shirley exclaimed.

Norma's head slumped forward. "Ugh… I feel… depressed."

Walter finally spoke up, a violet glow flickering around his fingertips, "Norma, don't lose sight of yourself. Remember why you came here in the first place." He stepped forward while he spoke, feeling black mist swirl around his feet.

She raised her head as something clicked inside her mind. "…Is the mist coming out because I'm scared?" The mist darkened around her, as if answering her question.

"It's getting thicker…" Shirley remarked.

"Embrace your feelings… You have to accept your feelings, Norma. Don't turn away from them." Grune continued, holding her arms out towards the shrouded girl and walking closer just like Walter.

"My feelings… I have to… accept them." Norma repeated quietly, her face turned away from the rest of the party.

"That's right." Senel replied, as he and Shirley approached as well.

"You're going to find the Everlight, right? You're going to find your dream." Shirley spoke up.

Will followed the others, "All the work you've done up until now was not for nothing. It would be if you just quit now…"

"That's right…" Norma commented, and the pace of the mist slowed as it swirled around her.

"Just trust in what you believe in…" Jay responded.

"And if anything happens, we'll all be there to back you up." Chloe continued.

Moses stepped up next. "Yeah. There's nothin' to be afraid of… If it ain't here, you can just keep lookin'."

"We'll all help you look for it, too." Shirley finished with a smile.

The mist stopped pouring out of Norma's form, and she became a bit clearer to see through the mist.

"You told me something, shortly after we first met. That it didn't matter how long it took, or what trials you had to go through. You would chase your dream and find the Everlight, no matter what." Walter locked eyes with her, and smiled, "Even if it isn't here, you won't give up. That's not the sort of thing the Norma I know would do." _Not the Norma I died for would do…_"It wouldn't matter if you spent your entire life searching for it; you would anyway. …Because what's the fun in having a dream if it's easy to get?"

Norma looked down for a moment, and then a small smile lit her face as she stood back up. "…You guys are right. I'm supposed to be the treasure hunter, right? This is my job!" She looked up to stare at the ceiling. "If it doesn't work out and the Everlight isn't here, I can just look somewhere else. I can just try again, right?" She smiled, "Yeah… yeah!" She looked back at the group, then the shadowy version of her. "I'd forgotten something really important."

"I've been searching for the Everlight because I wanted to, not for anyone else's sake, not even my master! Somewhere along the way, I forgot about that… About the fun of chasing my dream." She closed her eyes, and her fingertips lit with the golden light of her eres. "Give me a hand, ok master?" A golden shroud of light enveloped her, causing the other party members to step back a few feet and cover their eyes.

_"The answer is simple."_ Sven's voice echoed through Norma's mind. _"The answer is very simple."_ She could see his face, grinning at her like the goofball he was. His eyes shined with sincerity and pure joy. _"It's because I believe the Everlight exists."_ She felt a large hand ruffle her hair lovingly, and his voice seemed so close that he could have been right next to her. _"No matter what anyone says, I will continue my search for the Everlight, no matter what."_ Her teacher smiled at her as his form transformed into the golden light around her. _"For that… is my dream!"_

Her eyes opened, and she grinned, "I've found my dream too!"

Her fingers began to shine.

"I have no more doubts! I have no doubt anymore, master! I won't run away from the truth; I'm going to believe in myself!" Norma shouted to the world, looking up at the golden light around her. "I will find the Everlight… _no matter what!_"

She raised her hand into the air, and her finger started shining gold. The brilliant light surrounding her became blinding, and the room became stark white as the light flashed through the room, disintegrating the black mist with a blinding spark.

After a few moments, the light began to flicker and diminish, and when it disappeared, Norma stood in place, her fingers flickering just a bit. With purpose and determination in her eyes, she walked over to the leftmost symbol for 'future' and touched it. The symbols stopped glowing, and a pink light began to shine underneath her feet.

"…It really was an illusion." Will said finally, as he brought his arm down from his eyes.

Jay rubbed his chin in thought, "But Moses' spear burned."

"Perhaps the whole room contains some sort of mechanism." Will replied, crossing his arms.

Norma turned back to them and waved her hand at them, "Come on, guys! Hurry it up!" She turned back to the pink circle and her body warped away.

The other party members looked at each other for a moment and followed her. They warped one by one, arriving in a new area of the Crystal Forest. The ground beneath their feet was similar to the cavern from before, but trees and crystals alike sprouted up from around the platform they stood upon. Water trickling around them, and a quiet stream of water could be heard splashing into a pool from far away. The air was so still it echoed with their every footstep.

They saw Norma in front of a pedestal, her hands together in prayer. This time, five symbols appeared around the alter, all different from the previous ones.

She gave them all thoughtful looks as Chloe held out a hand and asked, "Can you read them?"

Walter rolled his eyes, "Of course she can." It wasn't out of annoyance that he said this, but of fact.

Instead of responding to them, Norma pointed out each symbol and listed them off, "'Annihilation', 'Trap', 'Underworld'… Also 'birth' and 'slaughter'." She grinned and looked at Chloe and nodded vigorously, "Can I read it, she asks. Please… this is nothing." She clasps her hands together. "Alright then, here goes!" She straightened, turned to face the symbol for birth and ran into it, vanishing and leaving a pink teleporting circle behind. Most of the group was startled, but relaxed soon afterwards.

Will stepped up to the portal, and then faced the party. "Let's follow her." With no other comments, then group nodded and walked through the portal one by one, vanishing away to a new area yet again.

x x x

The teleporter sent them to a new place, with a small path of crystal leading up towards a large circular room. At the top, a large blue sphere was incased in ice, tapering down towards the bottom into a small glassy stone. Blue crystal curved and spiraled out from around the room like twisted pieces of blown glass, or tiny stems of ivy.

The others found Norma awed and nearly in tears as she stared up at the huge icy sphere. "It's the Everlight… It exists… It really exists…" She spoke aloud.

Chloe shifted in place, "…I feel a very strong power. I've felt this before somewhere…"

"It's the same as Nerifes." Shirley replied.

As a few of the others spoke, Walter looked up at the sphere, "…Who would have thought the Everlight… was actually a Tear of the Sea…" He turned and saw some sort of scribbling on the wall, and walked over to it in curiosity.

Soon after Grune stated how pretty it looked, the others noticed some sort of writing on the wall. Senel pointed it out to Norma, "Norma, look at the wall!"

Norma finally looked down from the Everlight to stare at Senel, "Senny, what are you getting so excited about—" She stopped when she saw what he was pointing at, and nearly took a step back in shock. "No way… That's… It can't be…! But… there's no mistaking that writing… I'd know my master's writing anywhere…"

Walter stood in front of the writing in front of him on the opposite wall in silence, eyes moving slightly from side to side as he read the first sentence of the letter. Then he turned to look at Norma with a pensive expression, "…Norma. There's some more over here…" He stepped aside a few feet to let the group see the writing on the wall and turned to look up at the giant blue sphere.

"Ooh, let me see!" She ran over to the wall, the party following her every move. She looked down and her eyes widened, but didn't say anything.

Senel took a few steps forward to examine the writing, "It looks like Relares."

Norma looked up for a moment… and then her eyes squeezed shut as tears began to fall from her face. She brought her hands up to her face as she started sobbing.

Chloe took a step forward, "Norma? What's wrong?"

"Master… Master, I can read it. I studied really hard, and I can read your feelings…" She said brokenly.

"Norma…" Shirley said quietly.

"I studied so hard so I could catch up to you… I can read it all… all by myself…" A sob ripped its way from her throat, and she collapsed to her knees, her head in her hands as she continued to cry. "M-master…. I…. I…"

Walter turned back and walked the few feet over to stand next to her. "Walter…?" Senel asked.

"I made it, master! I came all the way here, just like you!" Norma cried, tears dripping down onto her clothes as she sobbed.

Senel looked over at the Ferines next to Norma, who was gazing at her with a look he'd never seen before on him, "…What does it say?" He asked hesitantly.

Walter held out a hand and fingers gently brushed against her quivering shoulder, "Do you mind?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah… it's ok." She responded, swallowing down her cries just enough to speak clearly.

He nodded, and turned to crouch in front of the wall to read the scratched Relares writing. He brushed his fingers along the symbols as he began to read. "It says, "To my dearest student…"

x x x

_Aaaand all that is left is the Epilogue. I apologize again for the wait, but was it worth it…? I hope so._

_Anyways, Notes on the Relares symbols (this part is incredibly boring!)_

_According to the Relares chart Namco listed on the site for ToL, the first three symbols in the game was for hes, kes and zes; translating into curse, fire and curse/stab. The first didn't seem to coincide with 'destruction', so I changed that with pes, 'explosion' or 'to destroy'. I also changed zes since it didn't seem to have anything to do with 'future', so I also changed that for tes, meaning 'gateway' or 'birth/beginning'. Since Norma was going to finally find the Everlight and start a new part of her life without chasing after it, I thought it suited much better. Just goes to show you how much I pay attention to the bits of Relares in the game, he he… I got lazy on the latter ones though._

Reviewer Responses:

Shiroi Iyasu: D-dead fic…!? On this? Never! And yes, I did have to kill him off (for a little bit). Honestly though, this was so hard to write I was half-tempted to slap a 'bad end' ending on this story and be done with it. Wouldn't have been fair to all of you readers though! Stick around, just one more to go!

Guest: You got your chapter, no worries. Thanks for the review!

pipou-desu: Ah… yeah, the six months was from my not writing, and considering your review was from early July… it's been a while, I'm sorry! As you could see though, he's just fine! ^^ Thank you so much for your compliments! While this one wasn't my beeest, the next one will, since it's the ending!


	20. Epilogue: Happiness

_Here it is… The finale… Or more-so falling action, I guess. Yes, my readers, this is the end of Glitter in the Air. I thank you all for sticking around through all of it, and I loved each and every review you all sent. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed my story, and I also hope you'll enjoy its conclusion. :sniff: Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go cry to myself… and rampage through Dreamland with Kirby and co.  
_

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Themes: Promise (reprise) – Silent Hill 2 OST, Cosmic Love – Florence and the Machine, Happiness - The Fray, Loyalty – AcoustiMandoBrony

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x x x  
Epilogue: Happiness  
x x x

After Norma discovered the Everlight, she rushed out to find Zamaran and drag him back to the circular chamber crafted from ice and crystal. There, she made the wish she and Sven shared to restore his eyesight. After doing so, the air sparkled as the Everlight's magic healed the older scholar's eyes. After the light faded, the wish caused the Everlight to lose what power it had and crumble. The group then returned to Werites Beacon, where the citizens were still recovering from the dragon attacks.

Moses and some of the shop owners spoke about the valuable resources the dragons could call for when it came to weapons, armor and accessories. They later came to a deal that Moses and the bandits would help in cleaning up the dragons and sell some of the materials to the shop owners. In return, they would trade them for some of the powerful items crafted out of the materials.

As for Will… well, he just wanted to dissect one for study purposes and to find out the biological differences between each sub-species. Before the bandits could look at them, Will was there first to examine every one and take samples.

The eventful day transformed into evening, and Norma went to go visit Sven. Walking quietly behind her was Walter, his mind filled with thoughts and recollections from earlier that day. The road up to the graveyard was quiet, and the lamps on the side of the lit pathway gave off a golden glow similar to the one surrounding Norma in the Crystal Forest. Crickets chirped here and there, and the night air grew colder as autumn approached.

However, as the two walked down the path together, Norma felt something… off. Different, like things between them had changed from how they were before. Maybe it was because she finally found the Everlight, or that he had come to rescue her… but something over the past few days had shifted into something she couldn't recognize at that moment.

She peered at him out of the corner of her eyes. It might have been her imagination, but the blond looked a lot less tense then he was the last time she saw him, right after half of the Fun Bunch and them went on that trip to the Man-Eating Ruins. Really, he looked like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. …So why was there some inkling of doubt in his eyes?

"Did you need something Norma, or were you just going to continue staring at me?" Walter finally asked after feeling her gaze linger on him for a few minutes.

The treasure hunter started at his sudden question and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Oh sorry, Wally! Actually, I wanted to ask you something." He raised his eyebrows and motioned for her to continue. "It's just… you seem different somehow. Something's changed in the past few days and I can't put my finger on what. Even if you aren't as serious as you usually are, you have the same doubting look that I did in the Crystal Forest. So, what's up?"

Walter closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath, stopping in place near a lamppost. The golden glow illuminated the path around them, and made their hair shimmer. "Since this entire situation is over, I should probably tell you the truth about everything. I owe you that much." Norma's head perked up in interest, and he continued. "You know that I had to do something to stay here after I was revived, right?" Norma nodded, and he averted his eyes to look at the road ahead of them. "Well, a few nights ago I had a dream that told me what I had to do… It included you."

After parts of her shock faded away, Norma deadpanned, "...You know, that could be taken sooo many ways, it isn't funny—."

"Oh shut it, you know what I mean." Walter interrupted, rolling his eyes at her. He shook his head when she just grinned back at him in response. "I'm being serious, Norma. I saw you get caught in that trap in the Ice Monument." She winced. "Images… blurred into something else, for lack of a better word. I found myself standing in the Crystal Forest, with you staggering down a cracked hole in the wall. I followed you down the tunnel, through a black mist I could barely see through. At the bottom was the cavern you woke up in, and…" He hesitated for a moment. "…You were just lying there, with some shadowy masked women standing over you. …Norma, I saw her kill you. You could imagine, I didn't take that well."

Norma shook her head of the unpleasant image her mind was conjuring up, parts of the puzzle clicking together. "That's why I didn't see you at all yesterday morning, wasn't it?" He nodded, crossing his arms. "What happened next? After I got poisoned I can't really remember anything. Everything's a big fuzzy blank."

"I… went to go clear my head for a bit, and didn't get back until that evening. The rainstorm earlier that day had just gotten worse, and I was about to head inside when I saw your friends by the inn. They ran out panicking, saying you had run away while you were still suffering from the poison's side effects. So I went after you." Walter took a step backwards and leaned against the lamppost, his eyes scanning the dark town nearby. "I flew around looking for you, and eventually found you in the graveyard, in front of your teacher's gravestone. That same women was standing over your limp form; had I not seen that omen earlier that morning, I'd have thought you dead."

Norma stayed quiet, but telling her of the danger she had been in, that she couldn't even remember, scared her. "…What happened next?"

"What I usually do to people I don't like. I attacked her." The line made her snicker, and brought a small smirk to his face. "She vanished when I did, and I flew you over to the hospital. Though I was supposed to rest easy afterwards, I woke up to check on you and Elsa ran up to me saying you ran away again. There was only one real place I could imagine you going, and that was the Crystal Forest." He looked back at her. "Though the rest of your friends and I couldn't get to you as fast as we wanted; an army of dragons swarmed the town right after Elsa told me of your disappearance."

"Maaan, I was missing everything when I was out of it, wasn't I?" Norma complained, a frown gracing her features. "Imagine the kind of loot I could have gotten!"

Walter stared at her, "You were on the verge of dying alone in the Crystal Forest and all you care about is gald."

The treasure hunter shrugged, "What, it's my job to be a money-grabbing treasure hunter."

The blond Ferines rolled his eyes and continued. "I eventually found your antidote from Chloe and found myself teaming up with Senel in the Crystal Forest."

"Wait, you teamed up with Senny, of all people? Who are you, and what have you done with my roomie Wally!?" Norma exclaimed in shock, leaning back and pressing her fingers to her mouth in mock horror.

"Trust me, I wouldn't have done so if I hadn't taken a hit from a dragon leaving town. Our meeting alone was…" He looked away for a moment, an awkward expression appearing on his face. Norma gave him an expectant look and raised an eyebrow. He looked away quickly, his cheeks turning pink, "Ok, maybe we got off on the wrong foot at the beginning, but either way, we ended up going after you together."

"Uh huh…" Norma didn't sound like she was convinced. "Nothing happened, huh?"

Walter looked up in as he muttered something under his breath, "For Nerifes' sake… Norma, I despise him. I loathe him. Do you really expect I wouldn't do something, especially after he accused me of…" He bit his lip hard to try and stem the harsh words pouring out of him. Taking a few deep breaths, he kept a lid on his anger and continued. "Yes, I lashed out at him. But you know I have issues about him. Just trust we came to an agreement and let it rest at that."

He noticed finally that they had been standing on the road for a while, and pushed himself off the lamppost to continue up the road, with Norma following close behind. "We got to the Crystal Forest, but the black mist had invaded it, putting the monsters there into a frenzy. There were far too many for the two of us to take out and then rescue you in time, so we split up. I went on ahead and found the tunnel you went down, and followed it into the cavern."

He looked back at her briefly, then turned his gaze back to the road in front of him, "It was the same situation that I had dreamed about; she was standing over your prone form, but hadn't hurt you yet. The poison's side effects gave you a fever and you fell unconscious. I rushed to try and get her away from you, but she tried to set doubt into my mind, just like the black mist did to you." He looked down for a moment, "Honestly, she almost succeeded…"

"What changed your mind?" Norma asked after a long moment of silence between them, enough that they had reached the tall walls surrounding the graveyard.

Walter paused for a moment, reaching out towards the stone walls and dragging his fingertips against the stone. "…You did, Norma."

"Huh?" Norma did a double-take and turned back to face the blond behind her, who kept his eyes averted to the wall.

His hand scraped against the wall as they formed into a fist. "Back when I was injured at Madam Musette's home, you saved my life, even after I had been such an ass to you. After I woke up, you were so scared I'd… go away like your mentor Sven… I made you a promise." He looked over at her, the golden glow from the lamps around them shining in his blue eyes. "I promised… that no matter what happened I'd always be there for you. That I wouldn't leave like Sven." His eyes took on a determined edge to them, "…I never break my promises."

Norma struggled to keep her eyes dry. "…Wally, you…" She said at last, words wavering as her eyes shimmered.

Silence surrounded them as they stared at one another, not knowing exactly what to say. The faint whisper of a breeze blew along the hillside, chilling the two as they stood by that wall.

After a while, Walter closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, Norma saw the corners of his mouth twitch, as if he was withholding a smirk. "...So, Norma…" He tilted his chin up and his lips quirked into a smirk, "You know, I didn't think you would have believed that little story I made up. Glad to know I'm a pretty good storyteller."

Norma's eyes widened and she opened her mouth in shock. "W-wha…"

The Ferines shrugged off her shock and walk towards the graveyard, "Ah well, you did the same thing to me, right? Fair's fair, after all."

Her arms began to quiver in anger, and she stomped her foot down, "Wally!" He looked over his shoulder, and stifled a snicker at her pouting face. "You… you meanie! That wasn't very nice!" She crossed her arms in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

Finally, a quiet laugh escaped him, and he shook his head. "Perhaps not, but at least you're not on the verge of tears anymore." Norma's frown eased and she looked at him in surprise. He turned to face her, the warm lamplight flickering in his blue eyes. "Call me soft, but… I don't like watching others cry because of me. Not now, at least…" He glanced somewhere beside him, purposely not looking at her.

Norma's brows furrowed for a moment, and she stared at him with a thoughtful and nervous expression on her face. "Wally…" The blond gazed back at her. "Everything you said was true, wasn't it?"

He didn't answer her for a long moment, as if trying to find the right words. Finally, he replied, "You already know the answer to that, Norma." Afterwards, Walter began to walk back up towards the entrance of the graveyard, leaving the treasure hunter behind. Noticing she wasn't following and just staring at her feet, he stopped and called to her, "Hey, are you going to keep your teacher waiting?"

Norma's head snapped up and she nodded vigorously, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Quit being so pushy already!" She yelled back, and quickly ran up the path to join him. When she had caught up to him, she placed her hands on his back and started pushing him up the hill, causing the gravel under their feet to shift noisily.

"Now who's being pushy?" Walter remarked sarcastically, but didn't try and remove her hands or stop in place.

"Oh shut it and keep walking, we're already late!" Norma replied back, slipping once or twice on the gravel.

"Late for what? I doubt Sven would mind much if we arrived a few seconds late, not that he—" Norma's feet suddenly slid out from underneath her, and she quickly grabbed onto the back of his shirt to keep from toppling to the ground. Because of this, Walter made a strangled sound as he struggled to stay upright. "For Nerifes sake, stop that!"

"Sorry, I slipped!" Norma didn't sound at all apologetic as she yanked on the black clothing further to pull herself up. The blond, on the other hand, tried to prevent the tall collar of his shirt from strangling him.

"If you're sorry then stop doing that!" He snapped back.

"But we're laaate!" Norma whined loudly.

"Oh, quit whining already!"

That night, things had begun to go back to normal again.

x x x

A few days later; Maurits, Madam Musette and the Fun Bunch had discussed the events of the dragon attacks on Werites Beacon via letters. After a short exchange, it was decided the party was to go to the Village of the Ferines to exchange information properly that afternoon.

By this time, Walter had met with the others and shared everything that had happened, including the mysterious women in black who controlled the mist and the events which had occurred in the Crystal Forest. The only parts he left out was his experience on the other side, along with who he had met there. Even if he was still uncomfortable being around all of them, Moses, Norma, Jay and Shirley (who was dragged along) still had a party in the Fountain Plaza to inaugurate him into the Fun Bunch. The party involved a shaky truce between him and Geit, the Bantam Bouncers crashing the party, a couple of cayenne peppers and Moses tossing Jay into the fountain.

Even if Walter was now a member of the Fun Bunch, and he couldn't just refuse go to the Village of the Ferines… he was nervous. He was a Ferines, and the Merines' ex-bodyguard at that; he _should_return to the Village to protect it like he did in his past life. …But at the same time, he had friends; had comrades here in Werites Beacon. He was part of the Fun Bunch, and after what happened in the Crystal Forest, he would never break his promise to protect Norma.

…Would Maurits ask him to come back? Try to force him to come back? All pride and ego aside, Walter had easily been the most powerful warrior in the village, save for the Shirley's powers as the Merines. Along with that, Walter had worked as a spy and information-gatherer for Maurits for the past three years; he doubted the village's elder would just let him walk away.

Walter groaned, and let his head fall back against the tree in frustration. While the others were preparing for the afternoon they would be staying in the village, Walter was sitting against one of the trees in the Fountain Plaza. For once, however, he was not paying any attention to the small crowds of people flocking in and out of the plaza, a steady hum of chatter filling the air. His mind was concerned with his internal dilemma about that afternoon. For once, the blond Ferines was feeling nervous.

"Wally!" He suddenly heard his name being called and looked over to the entrance of the plaza, where he saw a familiar yellow hair ornament bobbing through the crowd. The figure pushed her way through the crowd, and finally he saw Norma searching around the plaza. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called again. "Wally! Where are you?"

"I'm over here, Norma." Walter called back as he stood up, brushing off the sapphire blue shirt he gotten the day after the dragon attacks, as his other attire had been torn apart from both monster and ethereal-masked-woman alike.

The treasure hunter trotted over to him, with Shirley in tow. "Hey, we've been looking all over for you, Wally! We're leaving for the village in an hour!" She scolded, hand on her hip.

He waved her complaints away, "I know that, I had better things to do." He noticed Shirley's presence next to Norma, and commented on it. "Shirley? Aren't you supposed to be speaking to Madam Musette about the meeting?"

She shrugged, "Norma dragged me with her to search for you."

"What was more important than getting ready to come with us?" Norma asked, curious.

"I was thinking." Walter responded bluntly.

"…Uh huh… About what?" She raised her eyebrows.

"None of your business."

"Hey now, let's not go back to keeping secrets, Wally! We're friends, aren't we?" Norma gave him pleading eyes, similar to a puppy's. Watery puppy eyes that shined with innocence were a powerful weapon that many women used to get what they want, and few could resist. Fortunately for Walter, he was one who could.

"If you put it like that… no." He replied.

Norma threw up her hands in frustration. "Aw, come on! What could be so important that it would keep you from hanging out with us?"

Shirley watched this exchange quietly, and then asked, "You're nervous about going back, aren't you?" The two turned to stare at her in surprise, but she didn't elaborate further.

Norma began to comment, waving off Shirley's question. "Nervous? Don't be silly, Wally doesn't get scared of anything—"

"Yes." He interrupted quietly.

Norma turned to look at him in surprise, he eyebrows raised. "What?"

The blond shifted in place, suddenly conscious of their gazes. "I am nervous about going back. No one in the village knows that I'm alive, and I'm not sure if Maurits would want to keep me there or not." Norma opened her mouth to speak, but he waved her away. "Let me finish. You have to understand, the three years I was on the Legacy I was working for Maurits as a spy, trying to find out about Vaclav's movements… and to find you, Shirley. And I was a good one, so much that I was usually the one to undermine a lot of Vaclav's operations on the Legacy."

Walter sighed and looked towards the fountain through the crowd, streams of crystal-clear water bubbling out of the coral-colored pools and flowing into the channel around the plaza. "I'm an asset to him, ever since he found…" He trailed off, deep in his memories for a moment. He seemed to snap out of it shortly afterwards, shaking his head and turning back to the girls. "I'm torn whether I should go back or not. Maurits wants and most likely needs me to be there to help protect the village, but at the same time… I like living here. I didn't ever think I ever would, but I do. I have friends and comrades here."

"…Where should I go? The place where I should go or the place I want to stay?" He brought up a hand to run through his hair in aggravation, his expression revealing his frustration.

Shirley shifted, brows furrowed together in thought. She couldn't think of an answer so easily; it was a problem she had trouble solving as well. As a Ferines living in Werites Beacon, she still felt connected to the village in some way, as their Merines. For Walter, this was worse, since he's lived around the Ferines for as long as she's known him. She didn't know much of his backstory, so his revealing his ties with Maurits was completely new to her. Maurits wasn't a bad man, but… he had been manipulative to achieve his goals at times.

Norma didn't require any thought for her answers. "Stay here, of course! If you want to stay here, then stay!" The blond looked over at her, and she continued. "Besides, if you left, when would we ever get to see you? Knowing you, you'd go right back to patrolling at night like you used to." She grinned at him, hoping he'd stop looking so glum.

A moment went by, and Walter's lips quirked into a smirk, "That's what you think."

Norma raised her eyebrows at him, even as Shirley pushed them gently towards the inn, where the group was meeting up at. "Oh, really? Alright then, Wally, what would you do if you did go back? …All hypothetically, of course."

He closed his eyes for a moment, "Well… First things first, I'd tell Maurits I want a vacation." Norma snickered. "Second, I'd try and come to Werites Beacon as much as I could. Third…" He opened his eyes and had a puzzled expression on his face. "…I don't know, I'll have to think about it."

"_Hypothetically_think about it, right?" Norma asked.

"Yeah… Maybe," He trailed off as they reached the inn, where the other members of their party were waiting for them… Or at least, where they were supposed to be waiting for them. In fact, only Moses, Grune and Jay were present, standing at the door of the inn as if listening in to a conversation.

Walter gave Norma a strange look, but she just shrugged. "Beat's me what's going on over there." They walked over and the treasure hunter called out, "Hey guys, it's impolite to eavesdrop, you know!"

Jay looked over at her, then the other two, "Oh good, you found Walter." Said blond raised a hand in greeting.

Norma crossed her arms, "So, who are you listening in on?"

Jay seemed to smirk a little in amusement, "Zamaran."

"The old man? Why're you listening to him?" She cocked her head to the side in curiosity.

Moses motioned for her to come closer, "He's actually trying to rent a room… at five gald per _year_."

Walter slapped a hand over his mouth as he struggled not to burst out laughing while Norma just stared dumbfounded. "…W-what?!"

Shirley walked past Norma and listened though the door. "…Apparently he's giving the innkeeper a discount." She commented, a faint chuckle in her voice. This time, Moses started cracking up too.

"Hey, shut it, you two!" Norma complained, stomping her feet. The blond behind her let out a small snicker, and she turned to him. "You too, Wally!"

Jay listened past the laughter to the figure inside. "Apparently he just put it on your tab."

"What!?" Norma ran past the four near the door, opened it and rushed inside. The group heard a bit of loud complaining, some shuffling and more complaints. Then one large growl of frustration, and it was quiet.

They heard footsteps, and backed away as Norma stomped out with irritation in her eyes. She looked over at Walter and pointed at him, "You're paying for Zamaran, got it?" With that, she walked over to the item shop to refill her item bag.

They stared as she stormed, and Walter threw up his hands. "What did I do?"

x x x

After a while, the rest of the group arrived at the inn after meeting with Madam Musette first (hence their tardiness). The Fun Bunch rejoined their friends, and they left towards the duct. Stepping inside, they entered their location and warped to the Village of the Ferines. Rematerializing inside the duct they stepped out and looked around their surroundings; the pine forest split into a small clearing on the edge of a familiar lake. The barrier surrounding the village was down for the time being; probably so the group could enter. As the group walked across the stepping stones towards the coral-red archway, Walter hesitated in following. He stared at the ground for a moment in thought, then shook his head and hurried after the party.

A few of the Ferines villagers walked down the path, a few chatting with each other amiably. After a moment, they noticed the presence of visitors and stopped in their tracks at the sight of the party. They turned and hurried away, and Norma blew out an irritated breath. "Oh, what a _wonderfully _warm welcome… I can just feel the love and tolerance pouring out. I'm so happy, I could cry!"

Will rolled his eyes, "Norma, cut the sarcasm."

"Aw, come on!" She whined, not noticing a Ferines girl approaching them, her golden hair pulled up into twin ponytails.

"What do you think _you're_doing here?" Thyra's voice cut through the air, and the group turned to look at her frowning face, her cold eyes glimmering with fire.

"Oh great, Tulip's already angry and we've just arrived…" Norma commented quietly.

"She's not going to let us get a word in edgewise, is she?" Jay asked no one in particular.

Shirley put on a brave face and began to speak, "We—"

Thyra immediately turned to glare at her and interrupt, "I don't want to hear a word from _you_. Go home, you're not wanted here."

"Wait, I want to talk to you." Shirley spoke quickly, but Thyra didn't listen.

"Well I don't… If you want to talk, why don't you talk to yourself?" She retorted.

Walter let out a frustrated breath listening to her speak, "And here I thought you'd become a little more civil, Thyra." She started at the sound of his voice, eyes wide in shock as she watched him walk out from behind Moses and Grune. He crossed his arms, "I understand why you're as angry as you are… but it won't do any good hating Shirley for something she didn't do."

"Why do you keep coming back!?" Thyra yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. "Are you just doing this for fun now?"

Chloe looked at Norma, "Have they met before?"

The treasure hunter shrugged, "I dunno, he doesn't tell me stuff."

"Believe it or not, I'm here on business." He responded.

"Do you expect me to believe that?" Thyra retorted angrily.

"Thyra, that's enough." Another voice cut in before Walter could respond. Thyra turned and saw an older man walking up to them from down the street. He was clothed in robed attire, his long hair swept behind his head and a small circlet resting on his forehead.

"Chief Maurits…!" Thyra gasped.

Walter seemed to freeze in place, different emotions flickering across his wide eyes. Norma looked at him in concern when he stepped closer to the others, his form partially hidden from the older man. Her eyes flickered down towards his crossed arms, and she noticed his fingers begin to dig into his skin.

Maurits didn't notice the extra member in their party, and still had his attention on the Ferines girl in front of him. "I asked these people to come here."

Thyra gasped and took a few steps back in disbelief, her mouth slack as if to scream her indignation at them all. After a moment, she turned and ran down the main path towards the other side of the village. "Thyra, wait…!" Shirley held out a hand, as if to stop her.

Maurits shook his head and looked towards the group, "I apologize for her behavior. Especially after you've come all the way here…"

"It's all right." Will waved it off.

Maurits beckoned them towards the large building to the side of the village. "Please, come with me. We can talk more there." He led the way through the door, and one by one the party followed him inside.

Norma began to follow them, but paused when she noticed Walter wasn't following. She glanced at him, who looked like he was mulling over the thought of sprinting out of the village and back to Werites Beacon. She walked up to her friend and poked him in the arm, catching his attention. He turned to gaze at her with troubled blue eyes, and she gave him an encouraging expression.

He sighed and shook his head. Norma gave him a hopeful look, and pointed over at the large building the others had entered. With a small nod, the two followed the group inside.

Inside was a small entryway, which was separated from a large conference room by a few feet of wall and a cabinet. While Norma walked past the cabinet into the room, Walter lingered near the door, not at all eager to make his entrance until an opportune moment.

Now that some of the group had wandered away to find seats around the large table in the center of the room, Maurits had turned his back for a moment to look over something on the table, "Really, I'd intended to remove the barrier sooner… it took longer than I anticipated to convinced everyone, especially after an incident around a week ago."

Shirley looked at Norma with a question in her eyes before turning back to Maurits, "Incident?"

The village elder turned back to the group. "Yes. Apparently, an Orerines man somehow managed to sneak past the barrier into the village. He was spotted near the edge of the village near the rear courtyard, but he fled shortly after being discovered. By the time the rest of our guards had arrived there, he had vanished without a trace."

The group exchanged knowing looks with each other, knowing only one person it could have been. And he was currently hiding near the door.

Maurits lifted his head in thought, a puzzled expression spreading across his face. "Strangely enough… The barrier was not bypassed, but deactivated altogether. Only a few Ferines know how to use the barrier surrounding our village, but all of them denied deactivating it."

He stood a little straighter. "In fact, it's happened twice, and our security was top-notch the second time. …It's as if the man knew how to get by our defenses."

Walter closed his eyes and sighed very quietly, "…You're right." His voice echoed louder than he'd thought, filling the air near the room and allowing the others to hear him.

Maurits started when he heard the person speak, his stature stiff in shock as a memory forced itself into the forefront of his mind. That voice… It was quiet, yet it seemed to echo loudly through his mind. A figure appeared in his mind; a man dressed in white and cerulean-blue, his bright hair swishing from side to side as he argued about the safety of the Merines…

Walter continued after a long moment of hesitation. "Security _would_have been hard to get past for any person, unless they had a hand in organizing the patrols in the first place. Someone who helped create the barrier…" He walked towards the corner of the entryway, stopping as the light shining in from the high windows stopped at his feet. His fingers brushed against the edge of the wall, his eyes cast towards the ground. "It would have been easy to enter the village by someone who knew the village like the back of his hand, who had patrolled the streets nearly every night when Shirley still lived here."

He bit his lip hard, and forced his feet to walk forward. The light from the room chased away the shadows shrouding him as he stepped out of the entryway. His platinum blond hair shimmering faintly in the sun's rays, and with a resigned expression on his face he looked towards his former chief. "It would have been easy entering the village if the Orerines man wasn't an Orerines at all, but a Ferines who's been dead for two months."

Maurits' stunned eyes grew wide as he gazed upon the ghost in front of him, his aura and attire changed but otherwise there and very much alive. "Walter… You're... How are you…?" He stammered, questions wanting to tumble from his mouth.

Walter crossed his arms and walked forward so he was standing behind an empty chair. "It's a long story…" He responded finally, his eyes averted to the table in front of him instead of the older Ferines across the room.

After a long moment of silence, Maurits had begun to shake off his shock. The corners of Maurits' eyes crinkled as a smile slowly began to creep across his face. "I… we have time." He said after a moment.

The blond Ferines' eyes glanced in Norma's direction for a moment, his calm expression faltering for a moment. Closing his eyes and letting out a small breath, he sat in the chair in front of him. "Very well…" He said finally, leaning his arms on the table, fingers resting on top of his wrist.

x x x

And thus Walter began his story: beginning all the way from waking near Lumen Spring repeating his entire story save for a few parts; the ones in the black abyss and the time he's spent with Fenimore. Occasionally, one of the other team members would speak up and elaborate where he couldn't, but the story mostly consisted of his own words. He rarely looked at the others as he spoke at first, but as the other members of the Fun Bunch piped up to speak, he found his eyes wandering towards Maurits more often.

After he had finished, he elaborated more on the mysterious masked woman who seemed to control the black mist per Maurits' questions afterwards. The black mist seemed to be connected to both the shadowy clones of Norma and Will and the increase of power amongst the monsters of the Legacy. Afterwards, the Ferines elder told of the increase of powerful monsters around the village, enough that they had been tempted to reactivate the barrier around the village. Even as he spoke, his eyes flicked over in Walter's direction once in a while, as if he was still recovering from his shock. For a lot of the time, the blond remained quiet after that, at least until the group heard Thyra's scream from outside.

A fiend had entered the village, smashing a heavy staff into the ground and staring down Thyra when Shirley and the others had rushed outside. Without a moment's hesitation, they launched themselves at it. Eyes wide, the Ferines girl watched as the nine members of the Fun Bunch fought the hulking monster, eres-powered attacks flying everywhere. By the time the fiend had ceased moving and vanished into a plume of mist, the party was exhausted but alive.

As Will, Jay and Maurits spoke about the black mist and the fiend; the others were free to wander about the village. Senel and Chloe stayed near the entrance and chatted about who-knows what. Moses was content in lazing about with Geit near the lake, and Grune was wandering about with that silly smile on her face. At the moment Walter didn't know where Norma or Shirley were, but they had to have still been in the village.

As for the Ferines, he was still inside the small entryway near the conference room. He leaned against the wall in such a place where he could still listen in to the other three talking inside. Instead of eavesdropping however, he was occupied with the thoughts inside his nervous mind.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps walking towards him from inside the room, and pulled himself from his thoughts. Will and Jay paused as they passed by, "Walter? I thought you would have been outside with Shirley or Norma?" Jay asked, his tone relaying a bit of surprise.

The blond shook his head. "I have unfinished business with Maurits first. I'll meet up with you all afterwards."

The two erens turned to each other with one question on their minds, but nodded anyway. "Alright then, we'll leave you to it." Will responded, and the two left.

As the door clicked shut, Walter let out a breath and counted up to ten in his head. At ten, he straightened his stance and took in a steadying breath. Turning, he walked into the conference room. Maurits sat on the far side of the round table, writing down some of the information that had passed in their conversation. Biting his lip for a moment, the blond cleared his throat and spoke up, "Maurits?"

The village elder looked up, and a smile spread across his face when he saw the other Ferines enter the room. "Walter? I had expected you were exploring the village with the others."

Walter shook his head as he circled around the table, "Not today. I need to speak with you."

The other Ferines' serious expression and words made Maurits stand up from the table, turning to give the blond his full attention. "Alright then, I can tell there is something on your mind."

Walter hesitated in speaking for a long moment, swallowing hard. Maurits seemed to quirk his head at his out-of-character, but didn't say anything. Finally, Walter looked into the eyes of his old leader and said, "Maurits, I'm… not returning to the village."

The older Ferines's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Walter held up a hand in exasperation, "Can I please finish? I know I used to be one of your best warriors and spies and whatever else I used to do for you, but that's just it. I _used_to be one of your best. Not since I died, and not now. Someday I'd like to work for you again and help defend the village, but not while this problem with the black mist is still happening."

Finally, the blond had let a long enough lull in his almost frantic speech occur that Maurits spoke. "I know."

"…Huh?" Walter paused, then turned to stare at him in surprise.

Maurits shook his head, "I've noticed how tense you were when you first revealed yourself today, as if you were nervous about what I might have thought. Eventually, you relaxed when Senel and the others cut in to tell their part of the past two weeks or so. Like you said earlier today, you're clearly different from the last time I've seen you, especially after hearing your story."

As Maurits had spoken, Walter averted his eyes towards the door, away from his old chief. "Before, you wouldn't so much as set foot in Werites Beacon, let alone live with an Orerines girl there. Neither would you have risked your own life to save one, yet you did that and more. …You genuinely care about Senel and the others, both as friends and comrades." Maurits continued, pausing to look at the other Ferines, eyes still averted from him.

Maurits hesitated in saying something, then finally asked, "So, is there another reason that you've decided to stay in Werites Beacon?"

"…I…" Walter began, before he frowned and gave the older man a hard look. "Is this another ploy to keep me here, Maurits?"

The older man seemed a bit surprised at the defensive statement from him, and shook his head. "No, I'm only curious."

After a few more moments, Walter answered; his hard look disappearing as he stared over at the table. "If you heard my story you already know. Before... before what happened at the Altar of the Sea, I had never rested in keeping the village secure and Shirley safe. I never had any real ties with anyone in the village save for you, Shirley and Fenimore. I was always wrapped up in my work, never taking a moment to make acquaintances in the village."

"When I was revived, I was given a second chance at life in Werites Beacon. Like it or not, I tried to be more kind to Norma. I met her team members one by one, who hadn't been as bad as I thought them to be. In time, I had learned to depend on them as comrades, and even friends…" Walter trailed off, lost in thought for a moment.

"…Then I found out that Norma was the one I was supposed to save; killed by a mysterious woman in the depths of the Crystal Forest. Completely alone. _Nothing_would stop me from saving her from that, especially after I had promised I wouldn't abandon her... And I didn't. I don't break my promises."

Walter looked back towards Maurits with determination in his eyes. "I can't return because most of my ties here have been severed. Fenimore passed on, Shirley lives in Werites Beacon and I lost ties to you and the village when I died. In Werites Beacon I have comrades, friends, and a place to call home… a person to protect. I won't leave and live here again… not after…" His voice quieted to a near whisper as he shut his eyes in defeat and frustration. "Not after I've finally found some joy in my life…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and his eyes opened to look up at the older man. Maurits had a small smile on his face, even as his eyes were filled with sadness. "Walter, I would never intend to tear you away from your friends and Werites Beacon. If it is truly the place you've now called home, how could I take you away from that?" His fingers slowly slipped from the younger Ferines' shoulders. "…I'm just sad that after all of this time I thought you were dead; you show yourself fully alive and well. Then not a moment later, you're to leave once again."

"But at the same time, I've never thought I'd see the day you learned to forgive the Orerines, and become friends with them. You look… happy. I'm proud of you, Walter." The older man smiled warmly at him, wrinkles creasing on his face as he did.

Walter's eyes widened in shock as a long silence passed without him saying a thing. Finally, the younger blond's shock dissipated as a genuine smile began to spread across his face. "…Thank you, Maurits." He responded quietly, his head bowed slightly.

Maurits smiled back at him, and placed a hand on his shoulder to turn him towards the door. "Your friends are waiting for you outside. We can talk more later when this ordeal is all over."

Walter turned back to look at him and nodded slightly. "You know where to find me." He bowed his head respectfully, then turned and walked around the table to the door.

Maurits watched him leave quietly, and listened as the front door opened and shut with a click. The older man closed his eyes and sighed. The sound was a tinged with sadness, even as he smiled to himself. Rubbing his watery eyes with the heel of his hand, he went back to the paperwork on the table.

x x x

Norma paced around the entrance nervously, her boots scuffing the stone pathway as she walked. Every once in a while, she would stop in place and stand near one of the pine trees. Then she would play around with the edge of her sleeve. Finally, the brunette girl would bite her bottom lip in aggravation and begin to pace again.

After most of the group had finished their business in the Village of the Ferines; Will, Jay, Grune, Senel and Moses left for Werites Beacon later that afternoon. Norma hadn't seen Walter leave earlier, and was nervous about his absence. Shirley had told Chloe about the other Ferines' indecisiveness, and the knight decided to stay with Norma and Shirley to wait for the blond to appear.

At the moment, the two girls were watching the crystal eren pave holes into the stone under her feet. They looked at each other, then back to Norma. "Norma, wearing holes into the path isn't going to help." Chloe stated.

Norma turned back to them, a frustrated expression on her face. "Well, it makes me feel better…"

Shirley looked over towards the back of the village, where a few tall pine trees stood. Fenimore's grave was there, so if Walter wasn't here, then… She stood up from her seat on a small boulder, large enough to seat both herself and Chloe, and spoke up. "You know, Maurits left the conference room a while ago. If Walter was still in the village, he'd probably be in the courtyard in the back of the village."

Norma turned so quickly she must have gotten whiplash from it, and threw her arms in the air. "What!? Why didn't you say so earlier, Shirl!?" She exclaimed loudly, waving her arms at the Ferines impatiently.

"Y-you didn't ask…" Shirley responded lamely, slightly stunned by Norma's outburst.

"Dang it, who knows how long I've been here waiting!" Norma whined with a stomp of her foot. With that, the yellow-clothed brunette twisted in place and took off in a run down the path.

Shirley was startled by her outburst, and slowly trailed after her at a sight jog. "Norma, wait up!" Chloe leapt to her feet and ran after the two, pushing back the urge to roll her eyes.

x x x

Norma slowed to a stop near a large tree on the edge of the courtyard, panting for breath. After a few moments, her chest stopped pounding as hard and she stood back up. Her eyes scanned around the darkening courtyard, the faint beams of sunlight flickering off the trees and shrouding parts of the courtyard in shadow.

**She arrives at the courtyard, looking around for any sign of a dark-clad figure with silvery blond hair.]**

Finally, Norma caught a flicker of silvery-blond in the corner of her gaze, and turned to look underneath the pine tree. Walter's figure stood in front of a large pinkish slab of stone, the front of it surrounded by flowers. He knelt down in front of it, his fingers reaching out to brush against the stone surface. Norma heard murmured words echoing from his direction, but couldn't figure out what they were.

Finally, he bent his head as he got to his feet, looking down at the stone. Norma suddenly felt like she was intruding onto a private moment, and felt like she should speak up before he caught her watching. Shaking her head, she bravely walked forward towards him.

The blond heard her footsteps and turned to see who it was, shoulders slightly tensed. His form relaxed when he saw the familiar girl in front of him. "You didn't have to come find me, I was going back soon." Walter said, a strange look on his face.

Norma shrugged, wondering if she had left Chloe and Shirley behind in the back of her mind. "I was waiting for you for a while, but you never showed up!"

"So, you came looking for me…" The blond trailed off, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.

Norma nodded with a slight grin. "Yep!" She didn't hear a response from the blond and quirked her head sideways at him. "Hey, you okay, Wally?"

Walter opened his mouth to speak, and hesitated for a moment. "I'm… I was just seeing Fenimore."

The grin faded from her face, as she watched him from across the courtyard. She walked over towards the railing at the edge of the water and looked out over the lake. The clouds on the horizon had transformed into a brilliant orange set against a pink sky, coloring the cerulean blue water with the warm shades above. If he had spent so long going to see Fenimore, then was he… staying? "You missed this place, didn't you…?" She thought aloud, staring off towards the

Walter turned to look at her and nodded, Norma's back to him. "Yes." He answered simply, his expression pensive.

Norma's shoulders slouched, and she was glad he couldn't see her face. Her eyebrows scrunched up in sadness, and she felt her eyes water. Taking in a calming breath, she announced, "Wally…? I'm… I'm gonna miss you a lot, you know…" She bit her lip to withhold the sad note in her voice.

The Ferines looked at her in confusion for a moment, before remembering their discussion from earlier that day. He walked over towards the rail so he was standing next to her, looking out at the brilliant sunset. "Why would you miss me? It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Norma turned to stare at him in surprise, her eyes shiny from withheld tears. "Wait, what?"

Walter shook his head and turned to look at her. "Why would you need to miss me if I'm not staying here?" Her eyebrows rose in disbelief, and he explained. "Sure, I would love to live in the village amongst the Ferines again, but I have no ties here anymore. In Werites Beacon, I have comrades, friends, and a place to call home. …I haven't had those in a long time." He murmured the last part quietly enough that Norma could barely hear it being said.

"So… you mean…?" Norma asked, joy beginning to glimmer in her eyes.

The Ferines smiled at her, blue eyes glittering in the sun's dying rays. "Besides, I made you a promise, Norma. I can't really protect you if I'm living all the way out here, can I?"

"You're staying!?" Norma asked excitedly, a large smile gracing her face and her tears drying up.

A simple nod was all it took for Norma to launch herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as an overjoyed laugh escaped her. Walter stumbled backwards to prevent himself from tipping backwards, and spun in a circle to keep his balance, his arms wrapped around her middle. "Norma, could you try not to knock me over like that?" He retorted, not trying hard enough to sound annoyed.

"I can't help it. I would have been really sad if you left!" She exclaimed loudly, her voice bubbly and happy once again.

Walter opened his mouth to retort but stopped. He didn't want to leave Werites Beacon because he was happy there, he realized finally. Fenimore told him to find his happiness, when he had it all along. All because of this obnoxious, whiny, greedy, pint-sized treasure hunter in his arms. The girl who had saved his life as much as he had saved hers. Who had given him his life back.

The Ferines looked down at the girl in his arms, a joyful look in her eyes as she hugged him and spoke quickly about something he wasn't listening to. She had pulled him out of the black abyss and into the glinting sunshine, given him friends and a reason to live again.

His arms tightened around her as a genuine smile lit his face. After all that had happened, he was alive and had found his happiness. And in the end, isn't that all that matters?

_~End~_

x x x

_And that is the final chapter of Glitter in the Air! As aggravating as it is writing parts of it, this story gives me as much joy as it does for you readers. I want to give a big thank you to all of my readers who've read through this story! If it wasn't for you, this story would have stopped long ago. And without this story having been told, there would be no sequel._

_Yes, I am in the process of writing a sequel to this story, which takes place after the final confrontation with Schwartz. I'm not sure when I'll upload it, but I'm around a third done with it and it's in the process of being edited. I really hope to see you readers return for that, but as is, I'm so happy you all read my story! You've no idea what it means to me. ;w;_

_Thanks you all so much again, and I'm glad you enjoyed the ride!_


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